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maliachappell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
suzannalundale's review against another edition
5.0
By turns deliciously absurd and searingly honest, this first person telling of an Icelandic girl and woman making her way through the world grabbed me by the throat and commanded my attention. Sometimes I laughed out loud. Sometimes certain fluids leaked from my eyes. This is my second rendezvous with this author, and I am further drawn into his orbit.
algaemarina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
3.75
giuliasarchiz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
anneke_b's review against another edition
3.0
This was just okay for me... Had been done better previously by other Nordic authors.
nancidrum's review against another edition
3.0
This book is really difficult to rate. The writing is very good and the story was so original. Parts of the story I felt didn't belong, but overall I liked it and I'm really glad I read it. My favorite part about the novel was the takeaway as to how Denmark and Iceland fit into WWII. I didn't have any knowledge about their involvement in the war, so I really enjoyed learning about this relationship. The MC was sad, funny, smart, outrageous, current and astonishing all rolled into one. I wouldn't want to be one of her children, but I found her bigger than life personality very entertaining.
3.5 stars- I think it would have been 4 stars if a few scenes were omitted.
3.5 stars- I think it would have been 4 stars if a few scenes were omitted.
fabilousreads's review against another edition
5.0
Oh this book was such a great emotional read! The author's writing style is amazing. I wanted to highlight so many quotes from this book as they made me think a lot or moved me in some way. I couldn't do because it was a library copy! Will definitely be getting my own copy and re-reading it in the future. I hope this author writes a new book soon! I loved that this was based on a real kick ass lady and it followed her life very closely. It was interesting to see the WW2 aspect of it and see a point of view of a daughter of an SS officer that wasn't German and joined Hitler's crew. At some points it did feel like the story was dragging but that was just a reflection of how the war felt so dragged out for people as well. This woman went through so much and lived a long life full of misjudgments and mistakes and being completely flawed and owning up to it without covering it up. I loved this character and the author did a fantastic job brining her to life. Amazing!
catbandu's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So confused by this book. Sometimes I wanted to give it a 5 but mostly I wanted to give it a 1 star rating - not because it wasn’t well written (it is) but because I found it dislikeable.
And it feels like a man writing about being a woman (which is what it is) and so much of the inner narrative didn’t ring true as a result. But yet I kept going and found some of the scenes very powerful and strangely honest. Strange given what I’ve just said. So yes, confused, uncomfortable, compelled and unsure.
And it feels like a man writing about being a woman (which is what it is) and so much of the inner narrative didn’t ring true as a result. But yet I kept going and found some of the scenes very powerful and strangely honest. Strange given what I’ve just said. So yes, confused, uncomfortable, compelled and unsure.
lovella_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Rape