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jinmichae'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? No
4.5
The ups and downs of Eva's life, and the way she interacts with the people in her life, are the main focus. And she's such an interesting character in an interesting setting that it was hard to put down: I was always wanting to see what would happen next, and how the plot would resolve.
It's definitely dark in places: much of the story is set against corruption and political takeovers.
But there's a happy ending, which felt almost impossible with the odds placed against the characters, but I was glad for it. I don't need everything to be cold hard reality, and it was set up enough to feel like a satisfying payoff: even if it only exists because of a sometimes unreliable narrator. It's just a story, so why not let Eva tell it how she wants to?
Also, I adore MimÃ. Her success and happiness might have been the best part of the whole book.
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexism, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Violence, War, Sexual content, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Sexual violence
bessadams's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Self harm, and Transphobia
kalmia31's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Alcohol, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and War
Minor: Islamophobia and Death of parent
lenaricharz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Violence, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Dementia
laurikas's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
She also writes particularly well about women. I remember reading she was raised mostly by her mother & grandmother, because her father was an absent father, which made writing about women more natural for her. And I couldn't agree more.
Also her writing is sprinkled with the magical realism that I so adore, so it's two combinations made in heaven (women stories + magical realism = perfection!).
Left one star behind because I felt Eva's story too neatly wrapped up - sometimes the many coincidences got in the way of truly enjoying her life story.
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Dementia, Police brutality, and Infidelity
teosinte's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Transphobia, and Sexual content