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scifi_rat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Infidelity, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Death, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Racism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Religious bigotry, Torture, Abandonment, and Excrement
amandalorianxo's review
4.25
I learned a lot about Malaysia & the intensity of Japan’s occupation compared to the British’s occupation. Cecily as a character, while well written, was someone I couldn’t fully wrap around in my head. So you are disappointed in your life choices. So how does this new shiny man make you want to change things? Her motivation didn’t fully make sense to me. If we had less characters, maybe it would have been more solid. I didn’t believe we needed to focus on all the kids pov but at the same time, this gave us a glimpse into each age group’s way of seeing what was going on.
Overall if you are looking for a diverse outlook on WW2 from an Asian lens, this could be for you. Content warning - war, abuse, rape, blood, death, sexual content.
Graphic: War, Rape, and Child abuse
Minor: Child death and Alcohol
karlzlee'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, War, and Sexual violence
acarolinabelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual violence, Addiction, Child death, Torture, War, Blood, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, and Alcohol
fkshg8465's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, Confinement, Colonisation, Alcohol, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Murder, Child abuse, and Blood
ailiscr32's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, War, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs, Bullying, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Racism
thrillofthepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Physical abuse, Rape, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Death, Child death, and Confinement
Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Deportation, Grief, Torture, Alcohol, Infidelity, Child abuse, and Racial slurs
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
rosarachel'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Colonisation, War, Slavery, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture, Pedophilia, and Trafficking
okiecozyreader's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The time goes back in forth between the end in 1945 then back 9 years, 8 years, etc and at the same time, the viewpoint of her son, who was taken and put in a camp, as well as other viewpoints.
This is a book to read when you can handle a difficult story. As in many WWII books, there isn’t really anything “good” or happy that happens. At the same time, I found myself thinking about these characters when I wasn’t reading the book.
Many people in the #bookfriendsbookclub really enjoyed the audio for this one - they felt it was well done, so you might consider that if you’re interested in this one.
“…during a war, the only priority was one’s own family.” Ch 1 Cecily
“Isn’t every man a good man and a bad man?” Ch 2 Cecily
“Distance was a deceiver in that way, lulling her into a sense of stability and security,…” ch 15 Cecily
…
“She missed being a woman who cared about something, missed being a woman who was more than just an extension of her house and family.” ch 15 Cecily
“—some women just weren’t made for a peaceful life; she was someone who needed the simmering possibility of chaos.”
Ch 17 Cecily
“When Abel had been taken, their fear and pity had lasted longer. Perhaps it was earlier in the Occupation and people had not yet been cauterized to accept pain as part of existence. Or perhaps, Jujube thought, there was recognition that the first time something like this happened would be the hardest, but subsequent tragedies were supposed to get easier—like a scabbed-over wound that split open—you were already supposed to know how to feel; you did not need the salve of extended sympathy.” Ch 18 Jujube
Graphic: War
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Abandonment, and Death
internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Slavery, Blood, Confinement, Gore, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Racism, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, War, and Vomit