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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I love ambitious epics and I had a lovely time reading this book. I felt for the characters and learned with them, and on top of that got to learn a lot about the Congo’s postcolonial history.
Barbara Kingsolver is really very good at storytelling and shines in this multiple POV format; I found it interesting to witness how different members of the same family experience and carry with them their lives on the mission. Also, this book feels incredibly researched and clearly drew concepts and themes from to foundational works grappling with colonialism (Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart even being directly referenced which I found pretty funny).
I’m docking a point because there was a big shift in format, pacing, and tone a bit more than halfway through, which made the latter half of the story feel a little unbalanced especially while binging it. I think this might just be a difficult thing for novels tackling such a wide scope — it reminds me very much of how I felt about Pachinko as well.
Barbara Kingsolver is really very good at storytelling and shines in this multiple POV format; I found it interesting to witness how different members of the same family experience and carry with them their lives on the mission. Also, this book feels incredibly researched and clearly drew concepts and themes from to foundational works grappling with colonialism (Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart even being directly referenced which I found pretty funny).
I’m docking a point because there was a big shift in format, pacing, and tone a bit more than halfway through, which made the latter half of the story feel a little unbalanced especially while binging it. I think this might just be a difficult thing for novels tackling such a wide scope — it reminds me very much of how I felt about Pachinko as well.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of those books that I respected more than I actually enjoyed. Beautifully written, but also slow and a bit heavy-handed at times.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My first 5stars. I can easily find flaws in books, even small stuff, but for the life of me I couldnt find one here. Not one chapter was I bored, not one story I didnt want to hear. It made me feel plenty for the characters and at the same time, I learned so much about Congo and its history without it ever feeling like a info dump. Great writing and great story. Just perfect.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes