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leisurelyspy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mariarty24601's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.0
lucie_norel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
eviewilliams29's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rzanfy's review
2.0
I would like to preface this with the fact I was REALLY looking forward to reading this book. There are plenty of moments of brilliance, but the overarching consensus is different from what I imagined:
The house is the main character, which can be done well but in this instance, you’re fighting to the end and the character Dot in order to find some semblance of need for a resolution. Everything else, you know what’s going to happen.
Some of the characters are beyond pointless.
Some of the characters are merely a vessel for the writer’s own pretentious pontifications about the world. And none of her ideas are new. They’re all obvious: Thatcher was a cow; humanity is a virus and one day a pandemic will come to end us all (hmm, I wonder what inspired that); Kafka’s Gregor is a metaphor for the way society constraints us. I could go on. I guess if I were 10 or so years younger, I’d be impressed. Not now though.
Speaking of the intended audience, if this is for an audience of 17-24 year olds it’s fine, but if it’s intended for 14 year olds then there’s a lot of vulgarity. Tread with care and read it yourself before you give it to a teen. There’s NO WAY I’d give this to anyone other than my sixth formers.
Honestly, I try not to be negative in reviews and give a balance but I’m struggling like hell to think of anything. I may edit this later with the positives.
The house is the main character, which can be done well but in this instance, you’re fighting to the end and the character Dot in order to find some semblance of need for a resolution. Everything else, you know what’s going to happen.
Some of the characters are beyond pointless.
Some of the characters are merely a vessel for the writer’s own pretentious pontifications about the world. And none of her ideas are new. They’re all obvious: Thatcher was a cow; humanity is a virus and one day a pandemic will come to end us all (hmm, I wonder what inspired that); Kafka’s Gregor is a metaphor for the way society constraints us. I could go on. I guess if I were 10 or so years younger, I’d be impressed. Not now though.
Speaking of the intended audience, if this is for an audience of 17-24 year olds it’s fine, but if it’s intended for 14 year olds then there’s a lot of vulgarity. Tread with care and read it yourself before you give it to a teen. There’s NO WAY I’d give this to anyone other than my sixth formers.
Honestly, I try not to be negative in reviews and give a balance but I’m struggling like hell to think of anything. I may edit this later with the positives.
tdk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
celtic67's review
3.0
I can't say I liked this book, nor did I despise it. It was not a linear story and for that it was immensely readable. Can the past affect the present or indeed the future. According to this book it seems it can. You'll need to read it and make up your own mind.