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heathssm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
robin_nescu's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
bobblegom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Sehr schön geschrieben. Es besteht durch das ganze Buch eine Spannung durch die Unsicherheit über den Ausgang. Hat mich zudem aus meinem Reading-Slump befreit :)
chaptercharms's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very emotional and heartbreaking read with an important and necessary message.
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Desperately sad 'death row' story, told in verse, quite beautiful
Crossan is one of my few order-on-sight authors, every book she's written has been a winner, so different yet so full of emotion and heart-tugging stories.
I remember reading one review of 'One', I believe, where the reviewer said that each short chapter could be read as a poem in itself and I used that concept when reading this, and yes, they could be standalone poems, each ending with a meaningful thought, a bittersweet lesson learnt, a sad turn of phrase. So clever.
The verse structure works so well, you don't think about it after a while, it reads like any other story, but goes by so quickly, and does feel quite 'sparse' but with carefully chosen words rather than a lot of description and padding.
It's the story of Joe, now 17, who at 7 saw his brother taken away to Death Row accused of the murder of a policeman. Now, his execution date looms and Ed has asked him to come spend his last days with him. Joe is so empathetic, I loved the flitting back and forth from his childhood memories to his current painful situation, and how he comes to reassess his big brother and what happened on the night of the murder.
So so moving, this is very likely to follow its predecessors and be nominated/shortlisted for a Carnegie. It's also a very pertinent topic for classroom/book club discussion, and would work well as central to debates on the death penalty.
One for ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
Crossan is one of my few order-on-sight authors, every book she's written has been a winner, so different yet so full of emotion and heart-tugging stories.
I remember reading one review of 'One', I believe, where the reviewer said that each short chapter could be read as a poem in itself and I used that concept when reading this, and yes, they could be standalone poems, each ending with a meaningful thought, a bittersweet lesson learnt, a sad turn of phrase. So clever.
The verse structure works so well, you don't think about it after a while, it reads like any other story, but goes by so quickly, and does feel quite 'sparse' but with carefully chosen words rather than a lot of description and padding.
It's the story of Joe, now 17, who at 7 saw his brother taken away to Death Row accused of the murder of a policeman. Now, his execution date looms and Ed has asked him to come spend his last days with him. Joe is so empathetic, I loved the flitting back and forth from his childhood memories to his current painful situation, and how he comes to reassess his big brother and what happened on the night of the murder.
So so moving, this is very likely to follow its predecessors and be nominated/shortlisted for a Carnegie. It's also a very pertinent topic for classroom/book club discussion, and would work well as central to debates on the death penalty.
One for ages 13 and above.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
goodem9199's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. Oh, this book. Flawless writing and a story that will rip your heart out and change you. ❤️❤️❤️
aileenfox20's review against another edition
5.0
Saddest book I’ve ever read. I thought toffee was sad but this is just on another level, couldn’t imagine what going through death row would feel like it’s so messed up no one deserves it
makeshiftproject's review against another edition
5.0
I hated this book, i just wanted them to be happy
jmhvandijk's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
carolyn0613's review against another edition
4.0
I love Sarah Crossan's writing and this is another excellent book, although a different style to the others. I enjoyed the very sad story which has stayed with me. I would recommend this book and this writer