Scan barcode
rieviolet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have to say that it's been a long time since I've despised a character as much as Esteban Trueba and I cannot emphasise enough how much I disliked the sections with him as a narrator. I listened to the audiobook and I think that I managed to finish the book only because I really liked the voice actress, otherwise I would have given up after the umpteenth of his capitalist rants or descriptions of his male prowess and insatiable desires, they made me want to scream.
I liked much better the final chapters that focused more on the social and political commentary and also the epilogue with Alba as narrator (honestly I would have preferred her as the main point of view).
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Suicide, Antisemitism, Stalking, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
chrisljm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abortion
minxtte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
clarabooksit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Antisemitism and Abandonment
veronicachp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The male lead, Esteban, is revealed to be a /bad/ man within the first 100 pages and a shallow summary of this book is him doing /bad/ things for almost 500 pages while everyone else just kind of shrugs and lets him get away with it. And I understand that it's meant to be a broad overarching story about him digging his own grave, but even in the climax, it's not Esteban who truly faces the consequences of his actions, but his poor granddaughter, Alba. His taking what happens to her so personally is just another way he assumes ownership of every single other character in the novel, particularly the female ones. They're reduced to hollow, often infantilized shells of people who float along seemingly indifferent to all the bad things he's done, silently bearing whatever punishment he chooses to award. I struggle to real stories where people could leave their abusive relatives and decaying homes but choose not to for reasons that are never really explained, and this story falls pretty solidly into those margins.
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Rape, Torture, Violence, and Abortion
Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, and Vomit
wannieh's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Infidelity, Rape, Police brutality, Abortion, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Car accident
tinana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Blood, Grief, and Murder
kmaller's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Throughout the text, Allende presentsaa canny understanding of the corruption of the capitalist class and of the ways in which legitimately elected socialist governments are undermined (creating false scarcity, etc). The question of non-violent resistance is repeatedly raised, with varied answers which I respect.
I was surprised by the seeming nihilism of the epilogue compared to the tone of the rest of the book, but it also seems to reinforce one of the underlying threads of the book, that individual rage is ineffective without collective action.
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, and Murder
emilyclairem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Rape and Torture
mandkips'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
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, and Abortion
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma