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mnkeemagick'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? It's complicated
5.0
Now then, I can confidently say that it feels like I've got smoke pouring from my ears after this one. This 1200 page behemoth was something to behold: it's a blur of philosophy, experimental writing form, various points of view, and shifting styles all wrapped into a love letter for the downtrodden, dirty, and forgotten. The way that Moore writes is enthralling without the prose itself being flowery or pretentious or overtly complicated, and it ultimately kept me going. Some sections range from slow to downright hard to get through either emotionally or technically, but overall, if you're a fan of experimental writing, nonlinear storytelling, interesting philosophy on death or God, or just want to experience a true delve into a lower class slice of life as they're immortalized and given mythos, then this is worth chewing through.
As I said above, be warned. There are many parts of these stories that feature explicit sexual assault, violence, harassment, and abuse. Parts of it are literally made hard to read at their most basic technical level. It's not a book for everyone, and in many instances it may not even be enjoyable, but it is certainly an interesting exercise that I feel is worth reading, and a ride worth taking.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Islamophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, War, Hate crime, Incest, Torture, Child abuse, Car accident, Self harm, Suicide, Physical abuse, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Sexism
willow1113'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Classism, Sexual assault, Incest, Sexual violence, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Drug use, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Grief, Antisemitism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Slavery, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Sexism
nanc_282'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? It's complicated
3.0
It’s got some brilliant parts <spoiler alert> I particularly enjoyed the adventures of little Michael and the dead dead gang <spoiler alert> and some monstrous descriptions of assault and abuse. At then end of it, I felt I could have walked through the Boroughs and known all the inhabitants. The links with Bunyan and Snowy Vernon pacing through time as a pilgrim, and William Blake’s Jerusalem are cleverly done.
But it is really long and it employs some narrative devices less successfully, one chapter is in verse, another in the style of Finnegan’s Wake.
Graphic: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Incest, Alcohol, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Classism, and Cursing
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Addiction, Confinement, and Racial slurs
Minor: Slavery
sometimes_samantha_reads's review
Reason 1: the book is written to have widely varying time frames in each of the chapters. I understand the author was trying to maintain historically accurate language for his characters but the use of racial slurs for Black and non-white characters was a major ick.
Reason 2: almost EVERY sentence was an outrageously long internal monologue of setting description and it was just fatiguing to try and follow. Some sentences would go on without end for 4 or 5 lines! And the book already had small margins and font. I even bought the audiobook as a companion to try and alleviate this fatigue and it wasn't better listening to it. Trying to follow along was so difficult both visually and audibly. Oftentimes the sentences would become tangents or develop into streams of coniousness. I'm sure the 1k page book could be cut to 600 pgs if the sentences would just FOCUS.
I think that the concept that each chapter is a new character in a new time period but all in the same location and all interconnected (unknowingly) with one another is really neat! But often as the reader, you're dropped into the middle of the action and it can feel like whiplash with either not enough background or way too much detail and not enough plot. I think it could've done much better.
Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content