Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Lanny by Max Porter

6 reviews

sunn_bleach's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

4.75

I might be late to the works of Max Porter but I went in for a deep dive and came up as a major fan of his imagination, his innovative structures, his fragmentary poetic style and special way with words, plus his ability to capture and portray so much in so few words. I listened and read simultaneously which let me appreciate these visually and aurally.

Next up was Lanny and what a gem of a book. Sweet, innocent Lanny was such a memorable character perfectly designed to tug at my heartstrings. In Dead Papa Toothwort, Porter created such a unique nature-embodying spirit. He felt so real and fully formed that I had to check to see if he was a part of English mythology I somehow didn’t know about. The snippets of overlapping conversations brilliantly revealed so much about the villagers. And when Lanny disappeared those snippets just sounded so realistic, a microcosm of exactly how I would expect a community to react. Porter was a master at evoking so many emotions - fear, desperation, anger, relief. The performance in the village hall towards the end was a bit weird for me but overall I absolutely loved this book.

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swalk's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A short and captivating tale of a small English village and a child who disappears - Lanny. This is unique writing style, a kind of modern folklore. In some ways it is a book of memories, memories from the viewpoint of village members, friends and family and their interactions with Lanny. I enjoyed all the characters within the village, whether I loathed them or loved them, they were all fantastic and so real. At times it flits to the thoughts of more mythological and sinister characters hiding in plain sight, this disjointed styling adds helps to convey the air of loss, confusion and suspense surrounding Lanny’s disappearance.

The narrators are both great and I also enjoyed the foreboding music and background noises sprinkled throughout.

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amberinbookland's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Content Warnings

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

koplomps's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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