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clipshultz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, War, Xenophobia, Racism, Misogyny, Suicide, Sexism, and Child death
Minor: Miscarriage
karwc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Minor: Addiction, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Cancer, Classism, Death of parent, Child death, War, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship
jenrazzle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Incest, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Death, Alcohol, Trafficking, Cancer, Car accident, Abortion, and Emotional abuse
emmaopaline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Torture, Physical abuse, Infertility, and Police brutality
dee_dreams's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Instead of whining about what I disliked, which is a lot, I wanted to be constructive and offer some lessons I took away instead.
When characters die or disappear, it should matter. The characters who knew the dead person should care on some level (even if it's shallow or self-serving.)
The more characters you kill off, the less empathy the reader will feel for random new characters that are introduced.
Misery is not the same as depth. Trauma is not the end of the story. Focus on the characters' humanity rather than their victimization.
Use writing for good. We already know that evils like misogyny, racism, ableism, and grooming exist. Don't simply portray them for trauma porn. Use your writing to challenge them and provide a different perspective. Nudge the reader towards empathy and a belief that change is possible. Nobody needs more despair.
Stop introducing random, dehumanized sex workers and then portraying graphic violence against them. It's been done to death.
If you've already described a character as "plain, unattractive, never lovely," you don't have to do it three more times. You especially don't have to make the sexist, male-gazey descriptions more disparaging as she ages.
Don't try to take on a huge amount of unrelated themes. Or, do - just decide to make it a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. And follow up on those themes.
Last but not least, think about whether or not a "family saga" spanning 4 generations really needs a chapter about a minor character, unrelated to any members of said family, discovering pansexual orgies in the forest during the Summer of Love. And if you decide, yes, it does, make it hot. Please.
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, War, and Death of parent
madzie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Unfortunately, about two-thirds through the book, the characters, plot, and themes fall apart. Lee moves too fast through time, not allowing time to develop the later generation of her characters or the themes she has set up. Instead of exploring the point she is trying to make about life and the world, Lee falls into the trap of focusing on spurts of drama that make the reader feel empty due to lack of time for character building. She relies on tropes that occasionally go directly against her themes and certainly never adds anything to them.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Sexism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Minor: Infertility, Drug use, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Addiction
_danana's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, War, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Pregnancy, and Racism
madi22w's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: War, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Car accident, Classism, Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexism, and Suicide
Minor: Colonisation, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, and Emotional abuse
dnpatterson2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Death
lillyrose97's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, War, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Infertility, Suicide, Alcohol, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse