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mccluskey's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
condalmo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
polesika's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
2mango's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
patfield's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
marxmane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tracysolea's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
larryerick's review against another edition
3.0
The author is a skilled writer and this book deserved to be revived from the 1960s. I was particularly impressed by how timely the story was despite all that has changed in the last several decades. Quite unlike other books I have read, my biggest complaint about this book is that the main character and apparently the author seem to be struggling with the obvious. Is the theme really, "Life is tough...and then...life is still tough"? Yes? So? The reader does get to see life changes and temporary improvements, but the struggles return and every advance is balanced with more slipping back down. Even when the main character is found reading "the classics", he never seems to get the full meaning of what he has read, at least the author doesn't suggest so. I mean a Moby Dick is not a book about fishing, and you don't get credit for reading it if you think it is. While the book centers on a person with a tough life's beginning, and tougher struggles later, the author shows that his narrative is not just about the down-trodden. He does so by having a last chapter that doesn't even mention the central character and still shows a millionaire struggling with his own situation, as though the struggle is a virus being spread from person to person.