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thatsssorachael's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The writing in this novel was some of the best I've ever read. There were so many excellent quotes and observations, I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. The characters were so well fleshed out. I liked that our main girl wasn't super likeable. I also really liked that no one was inherently good or bad, they were flawed and acted out of desperation or love.
The reason this book wasn't a 5 star read was the greek chorus/Mothers portion of the story. I didn't love it, and I didn't connect with it at all. It was confusing, and really didn't offer much to the story. I felt like it was a good idea, but wasn't fully fleshed out.
I highly recommend.
The reason this book wasn't a 5 star read was the greek chorus/Mothers portion of the story. I didn't love it, and I didn't connect with it at all. It was confusing, and really didn't offer much to the story. I felt like it was a good idea, but wasn't fully fleshed out.
I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, and Suicide
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, and Grief
stephbakerbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book, as the title suggest, is about mothers. There isn't a ton of time given to exploring the other relationships, which I didn't really realize was happening until the end. There are plenty of other relationship dynamics, but the complexities within them are barely touched on, almost glossed over even.
At the end, I found myself wanting more from those other relationships, but I appreciate what the author was doing in focusing only on the mothers, mainly because she does it so well. She's an excellent writer, and her words drew me in again and again as she explored how much motherhood affects these characters' lives. There are absent mothers, both by death and by physical location, there are overbearing mothers, there are nosy mothers, there is the desire to be a mother, there is the decision to be a mother or not. I liked that the book wasn't trying to make a statement about motherhood, one way or the other. It's up to the reader to draw your own conclusions.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I loved The Vanishing Half, but I'll also be thinking about these characters and their choices for a while. I read this for my book club, and we had a great discussion about it.
I'm looking forward to whatever Brit Bennett writes next!
Read if you like: small towns, character-driven stories, Greek chorus.
At the end, I found myself wanting more from those other relationships, but I appreciate what the author was doing in focusing only on the mothers, mainly because she does it so well. She's an excellent writer, and her words drew me in again and again as she explored how much motherhood affects these characters' lives. There are absent mothers, both by death and by physical location, there are overbearing mothers, there are nosy mothers, there is the desire to be a mother, there is the decision to be a mother or not. I liked that the book wasn't trying to make a statement about motherhood, one way or the other. It's up to the reader to draw your own conclusions.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I loved The Vanishing Half, but I'll also be thinking about these characters and their choices for a while. I read this for my book club, and we had a great discussion about it.
I'm looking forward to whatever Brit Bennett writes next!
Read if you like: small towns, character-driven stories, Greek chorus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Medical content
fionac326's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Grief
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