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megelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Reading this a few years after its release, I couldn't help but feel it didn't quite live up to all the hype, but I still enjoyed it overall. It's well-written with an interesting plot and fun set of characters, and it's of course very witty and full of a very specific British humour which I appreciated. It's also a great combination of gripping and fast-paced on the one hand, and then complex, layered, and bittersweet on the other, with important things to say about ageing, relationships, and illness and death.
My main issue with this book is that there's a significant part of the ending which just didn't make sense to me at all, in terms of a certain character's actions and the impact that these then have on the plot. Maybe I was missing something, but it just seemed so out of character for me that it was difficult to look past, particularly as otherwise I found the various strands of the mystery to be wrapped up in a satisfying way.
On a lesser note - and perhaps more of a personal preference - I wish that more of the story had been told from Joyce's point of view and particularly that the police officer characters had been less prominent.
I'm not sure if I'll pick up the next book, as there were definitely elements of this that I really liked and I do enjoy Osman's writing style, but there were also big drawbacks for me. I suppose time will tell!
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Racism and Sexual assault
aphraclare's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Violence, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Cancer, Child death, Blood, Dementia, and Suicide
cooliuscaesar451'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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Child death, Mental illness, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Racism, War, Cancer, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal death, Addiction, Homophobia, and Gun violence
jaydub0221's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Grief and Blood
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Dementia, Pregnancy, Drug use, Medical content, and Alcohol
mbexte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Super pleasant and easy read.
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
Minor: Blood
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, and Murder
Minor: Blood, Abandonment, Bullying, and Terminal illness
abhirupa'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? No
5.0
- "We all have a sob story, but we don't all go around killing people."
- "It is Ian's regular smoothie. Some raspberries, a fistful of spinach, Icelandic yogurt (Finnish, if they are out of Icelandic), spirulina, wheatgrass, acerola cherry powder, chlorella, kelp, acai extract, cocoa nibs, zinc, beetroot essence, chia seeds, mango zest, and ginger. It is his own invention, and he calls it Keep It Simple."
- "Ibrahim knows he is a safe pair of hands. Over the years he has saved lives and saved souls. He was good at what he did, and that's why, even now, some people will drive for miles...just to speak to an eighty-year-old psychiatrist, long-retired....This morning Ibrahim is needed. Which is what he lives for." (crying, screaming, throwing up)
- "He had once read a headline about Diet Coke that was so worrying he had chosen not to read the article."
- "'You'd look like Nicki Minaj. You know Nicki Minaj, Joyce?' 'No, but I like the sound of her,' says Joyce."
- "People without a sense of humor will never forgive you for being funny."
- "It was lucky that Chris loved his job, was good at his job. He always found it easy to get up in the morning; he just found it hard to go to sleep at night."
- "Dear God, I will miss you, you fool. Sweet dreams, darling. What a chase." (i am a shell of the person i once was)
Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Death
andloveistoolong'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
4.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Death, Suicide, Alcohol, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Dementia, Pregnancy, Rape, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Murder, Grief, Suicide, Death, Dementia, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Religious bigotry, Animal death, Racism, Police brutality, Ableism, and Blood
laurataylor'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Cursing, Dementia, Drug use, Murder, Chronic illness, Child death, Death, and Suicide