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mypoormeatball'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? Yes
5.0
Here is the spirit of this novel to me:
Imagine, on plain and warm day, a cherished adult mentor, in their old age, clutches you to their chest in a moment you’re vulnerable — a child, you’re grappling with the kind of profound disappointment and fear of growing up kids can’t always put into words — and as they hold you every memory of their own life and childhood and that of everyone they’ve ever loved, known in passing, and never met flashes before their eyes and they understand and love you and themselves and everyone on earth better than they could ever put into words. And then they rub you on the head and give you a snack and you feel a little better. They watch you play outside while they sit in a porch chair and think about how you both will be grow forever and ever and ever, warmth squeezing the air out of their heart and lungs.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
maddie_can_read's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoy the structure of the book, where you follow characters over time and space.
Loved all the Canadian and especially the Toronto references!
I have a difficult time visualizing some books but thought this book was written in a way that really facilitated visualizing what was happening, being familiar with Toronto also probably helped though.
I also enjoyed the tone of the book, it felt neither overly optimistic or pessimistic in imagining a post-apocalyptic world.
One minor critique is that some of the side characters were difficult to distinguish between.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and Blood
kittythewildcat'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? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death
infinitedani24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Minor: Rape, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
bcrowes11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Terminal illness, and Gun violence
Moderate: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
hmogie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child abuse and Adult/minor relationship
stellaperlic'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
vivvs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and Death
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Cancer, Medical trauma, Suicide, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Child death
tremayna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic and Infidelity
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Classism, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Religious bigotry, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Child death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Confinement, Rape, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Medical content, and Pedophilia
Written before the 2020 pandemic, this book about a fictional global viral event was disorienting to read in the year 2023, so closely following the eerily parallel events that came to pass in real life. Much of the real life pandemic is still in progress; its effects continue to leave their mark; the process of compartmentalizing memories of things surreal and too big to process without a biweekly therapy plan is still happening. Picking up this book jolted me back into the thick of pandemic thinking, creating a literal sense of disorientation where I was looking around me wondering how people could be sitting so close, maskless, touching everything without thought, when I hadn't seen the world that way in at least a year and a half. For that reason alone, I have to commend the writing. And at the same time, the author's delicate touch and the many moments of human normalcy, in both pre-event and post-event scenes, prevented the complete despair that could have pervaded this story. I felt St John Mandel balanced total devastation with enough possibility to keep the reader believing in the likelihood of meaningful survival without overdoing it and allowing the story to devolve into purely a feel good fantasy.samburkhouse'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Rape