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brittanyisbooked's review
- 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: Death of parent and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
wildroseoftexas's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I took a star down because the blurb makes it seem like the main storyline would be the love interest and it’s not. Honestly, the love interest storyline felt almost filler and not explained well early on. It could’ve easily been left out and just left the full focus on the family. I would immediately move this to a 5 star rating.
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
proudtobeabookaholic'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
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
cassiereadsbooks_'s review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Death of parent, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
craftyanty'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
5.0
The story follows Austin Foster through her teens and twenties as she grows up on a tobacco farm caring for and protecting her younger siblings after her mother's death. Her father, the local pastor, secretly struggles with mental illness, and Austin becomes his caretaker and protector as well. As time goes by, the cracks caused by the family's trauma begin to become undeniable as Austin and her siblings struggle to thrive.
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Death of parent
bwluvs2read's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death
kaci422's review
- 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
Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, and Mental illness
wherethewildreadsare's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
reading_ladies_blog's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
in_love_with_bookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.0
Under the Magnolias have a lot of elements that I love in books and Yet I struggled with the story every step of the way until I couldn't do it anymore. I’m really sad that this is a DNF for me but I just know when it’s not working.
I quit this story at the mark of 47% so I pushed through as much as I could. I tried and kept trying but it came to a point when I know that I’ll get in a reading slump if I force myself to continue.
To be honest, the premise is brilliant and captivating. This is historical fiction, a genre I adore and It’s also a coming of age story and a family drama with depiction of struggles, loss, grief, and mental illness, and the complexity of family relationships. It has a lot of elements to portray and to intertwine together and I think if it wasn’t just so boring I would’ve loved it.
I’m sorry but Under the Magnolias was a snoozefest. I tried to care about the plot and I failed. I couldn’t keep a lot of the characters straight in my head and Every time, the story reaches an interesting point or an emotional height, It skips ahead in time and I lose the connection I started to feel or the potential I started to glimpse. It was definitely abrupt and left me feeling cold.
I totally understand why many people are loving and praising this book but It just wasn’t for me. I think other books did this story better and I think some of the narrative choices kept from really getting invested. I may check out the author’s other books because I actually enjoyed the writing but this is where I break up with this particular book.
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness