Reviews

The Promise by Damon Galgut

trish_c_nl's review

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3.0

I am not sure I would have finished the book, let alone started it, if I didn’t have a connection to South Africa. The writing style was intriguing and it kept me reading, mostly because there were not a lot of places where it felt natural to pause.

annaira_c's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.5

molly_vi0let's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

laura_hirst_87's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

papelgren's review

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4.0

Less a reconciliation of South Africa's history and more a retribution. Galgut explores the rot in one family as it degrades over the years and forgets a promise made to those on its land. I listened to the audible rendition and it got better and better as it went.

leoniethom's review

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challenging slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

elizabethgarcia's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ldanieljames's review

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challenging slow-paced

3.75

fionamccarthy's review

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reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

kajasversion's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Truly a masterfully written story, the narrative transitioned from one character to another seamlessly and it was amazing to witness. The characters are all flawed, the burden of family and societal values destroying their relationships. 

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