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bookswithbethx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Mental illness, Gun violence, Medical content, Pedophilia, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
laurenleigh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Big thank you to my sister-in-law for gifting me this book! 😘 It’s almost hard to believe this was written pre-pandemic; it’s so on the nose. At times it almost hit a little too close to home and made me sad for the things we’ve lost, but I also gained some perspective. In no way would I minimize the effects of COVID, but at least we still have electricity and running water. I guess things could always be worse? The most important perspective though is the importance of art (in ALL its forms) during crisis. As a creative outlet, as a distraction, as a social setting, and as a message to the future of how life felt at the moment of its creation, art is extremely powerful. I love the connection drawn between our modern pandemic times and Shakespeare’s plague era. There were moments all the disparate storylines felt confusing, but I do think St. John Mandel is a talented writer, if based on nothing else but that stellar opening chapter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Sexism, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy
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