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cassiealexandra's review against another edition
4.25
The story framing was very interesting to me. I liked that it took a look at Lara’s coming-of-age through the lens of her telling her grown daughters about it. I appreciated the look at nostalgia, suffering (worldwide), legacy, contentment, and the sweet and deep love between husband and wife and family. I was also surprised by the moments of humor in a somewhat serious read.
There were a couple of plot points that seemed to come out of nowhere for me; they seemed nearly unnecessary. The pacing also seemed to slow down at a couple points and I would have preferred it staying steady. I also got confused at a couple of points because of the way the story was framed and reading by audio. I think some of these confusing moments could have been cleared up had I read it in print. And speaking of the audio, I hate to say it, but I had a difficult time with Meryl Streep. I couldn’t keep myself from picturing her instead of picturing our character, Lara, and that was a slight distraction throughout.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and appreciated the writing style and themes, but I think I may have liked the experience more in print.
— NOTES —
Genres: literary fiction
POV: first-person, singular
Content: pandemic, infidelity, death of loved ones (a couple other things that are spoilers)
Romance: mostly vague implied intimacy and a couple minor sexual situations
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Craft: 5
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4.25
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
alyssapusateri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Infidelity, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
tashtasher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Racism
ajhowe2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
hinkleh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Racism, Vomit, and Abortion
Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
rayreyes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, and Abortion
allisonstockslager's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Racism, Suicide, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sweetheart_ok'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? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Abortion
anniemouse91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism and Suicide
pickashelf'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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide, and Pandemic/Epidemic