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zulliekinz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay, so why not 5 stars? It may have been a weakness on my part but sometimes keeping up with the links took a little more work that I would have liked. But maybe that was something Evaristo was wanting us to do...work for it.
At the same time, whilst at the start I was HOOKED, somewhere in the middle I began losing links and wondering if there was an unnecessary layer of hype that was stopping me from falling completely in love. <Spoiler>However I find the way the epilogue ties it all together was so powerful, it answered my unanswered questions and had me crying. Getting to the end confirmed it was all love from me to this book..
No one can deny what an excellent read this was.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Miscarriage, and Rape
Moderate: Gaslighting, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Abortion
Minor: Xenophobia and Slavery
uncreativeoops's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Drug use, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Rape, Slavery, Sexism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Colonisation, and Deadnaming
Minor: Cancer, Physical abuse, Abortion, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Addiction, Antisemitism, and Alcohol
impactbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Xenophobia, and Racism
paigereitz's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Classism, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Deadnaming
camoo3032's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
There are a lot of characters so the book can feel like a bit of whirlwind, particularly in the first chapter, and some of the topics covered could've been discussed in more depth. Regardless, I still found this book very eye opening
Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Racism
Moderate: Abandonment, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Classism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Transphobia, Vomit, Child death, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Cancer, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Slavery, Suicide, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Xenophobia
phophi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, and Sexism
mopare's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual violence and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
errie's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Classism, and Colonisation
hannahbailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Generally I prefer not to read character-vignette novels written in third-person. But this novel just goes to show that when done well, I can really enjoy them! I loved the distinct voice of each character and how they would be name-dropped in one chapter only to be the main character of the next one. It built such an interesting and creative narrative without leaving me feeling I didn't know enough about them–which is usually the case for me with character-vignettes.
Surprised to see some reviews stating the character dialogue and mix of poetry/prose was hard to believe and unrealistic. I completely disagree! The inner dialogue of the female characters was relatable and familiar. I enjoyed the exploration of womanhood and motherhood and how this intersects with race in Britain. It was an interesting and sobering read.
It was almost 5 stars, but there was a part where the character overcomes drug addiction by sheer willpower–they literally stay at home for a week without any form of support and somehow recovers? This didn't feel realistic to me especially given the vulnerability and young age of the character. That said, this was one of the chapters that really stood out to me in its exploration of body/gender dysphoria and trans joy.
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Alcohol, Abortion, Addiction, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
sylvia_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
But I am glad I did! Because this was a very good book. I loved how every story was interconnected and it really made me think about gender/race issues I’d never even considered before.
The only small gripe I have about this book is that I feel like the younger characters are not always taken as seriously by the narrative as the older characters, but that might just be because I personally identify more with them and hence feel these things more strongly.
Overall, I’m very glad I own this book now because I will definitely want to reread it some day.
Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
Moderate: Slavery, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Xenophobia