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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
brna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Abortion
Moderate: Ableism and Homophobia
edotas'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
4.5
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Abortion
machenn'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
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Abortion
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
theknitpick'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
3.5
I am astounded by the details and the intricacy of this story. Allende's writing is masterful and it's shocking to know this was her debut novel. I wish I loved the characters more, but sadly most of them were just so out there that it was hard for me to connect with them. I was continually disturbed by how easily the women of this story forgave the violence and horrors that male characters (specifically one character) continued to wreak on them when they are so often portrayed as strong women with conviction. It was also hard to digest that the one character I dislike above all continued to live throughout the story and, despite his despicableness, gets a peaceful, somewhat happy ending.
I've also been learning that family sagas are just not my thing. Occasionally I can get into it, but overall it's hard for me to get excited about generation after generation of one family. I'm also not the biggest fan of magical realism, but this story was alright. I accepted it because it was embraced fully and Allende committed to it. I just wish that I cared more about the characters themselves so that I could rate this book higher.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Abortion
Minor: Pedophilia
mischka's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, and Abortion
ktrecs'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
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, and Abortion
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, and Antisemitism