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pained_creations's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Not familiar with King Lear, so can't say if it is a decent modern retelling, but as a stand-alone book, I thought it was okay, if a bit far-fetched. Touches on many issues of a very dysfunctional farming family, and what happens with jealousy, secrets and pride take over several members of that family.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Alcoholism
malau's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lauradee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
cwolfe2992's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
I wish for so much more for the women in this book.
lizawall's review against another edition
My favorite thing about this book is that it takes place mostly on a farm, and makes you feel like you are really getting something about farm life. Somehow it managed to feel simultaneously austere and melodramatic. I wish it had felt more austere, less melodramatic.
alicialanders's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fantastic - my favourite read of the year so far! Very dark but compelling.
Graphic: Pedophilia
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Miscarriage
marissa_k_mason's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
5.0
For whatever ithe comparison is worth, I’ve now read two of the new “Hogarth Shakespeare” series, and found this to be astoundingly better than either of those.
sam_bizar_wilcox's review against another edition
2.0
What, to me, started off as an incredibly subdued drama (from King Lear, these characters, surely not?) escalated subtlely to resemble the bare bones of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. But then it kept escalating. While reading the novel, I became increasingly aware that the intentional melodrama of the Renaissance theatre doesn't quite translate to a realist narrative, and when the more shocking elements of the novel are revealed (in the play, importantly, these are only suggested, and suggested by smart stage directors - although after reading this book I wonder if this dramatic convention to is a chicken-or-the-egg situation with the novel), the brilliant work of the beginning became undone. Disturbing does not a rich narrative make, and here the horror is layered on thick. I applaud Smiley for keeping her prose measured, but this novel's success (or, in my opinion, lack thereof - an admittedly contrarian view given the book's Pulitzer) hinges on important question: can Lear work outside of Lear?