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henren's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
eabbott02's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
emisallbooked's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
persuadingdaisies's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
bajammies's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kategci's review
3.0
Really 3 1/2 stars. Set in South Africa in the early 20th century, Scatterlings examines the ramifications of the 1927 law which prevented blacks and whites from marrying and having relationships and was deemed retroactive. Abram and Alisa have been married and have 2 daughters and their lives are upended as they try to flee north to Southern Rhodesia. Alisa has always written in her journal and seems to have struggled with depression. One horrible act changes everything and the story deals with the fall out from Alisa's behavior. A large chunk near the end of the novel is devoted to Alisa's journals and while they are a character study, ultimately they bogged the novel down. A debut, the author may have tried to do too much. There is a lot of interiority, not only in the journals, but among the other characters. Very descriptive of the south South African flora and fauna, I am glad I was given the opportunity by BookBrowse and HarperVia to read this soon to be published novel.
isabelh27's review
2.75
while i was interested in reading about the south african apartheid, i didn't love the book. the different sections didn't seem to flow into one another and the pace of the book was challenging for me
heathergillis's review
3.0
Scatterlings tells the story of how one family was affected by the passing of the Immorality Act in South Africa, which banned interracial relationships. We meet Dido and Emilie first, the mixed race children of Abram and Alisa. Abram is a white man and Alisa is a black woman who was raised in England by adoptive parents. The story examines what it means to belong to a place, to a family, to a tribe, from each character's perspective. The writing is beautiful and the story is heartbreakingly sad. While I appreciated the writing and the premise was interesting, I felt the story was a bit disjointed and I never really connected with it.
heathergillis's review against another edition
3.0
Scatterlings tells the story of how one family was affected by the passing of the Immorality Act in South Africa, which banned interracial relationships. We meet Dido and Emilie first, the mixed race children of Abram and Alisa. Abram is a white man and Alisa is a black woman who was raised in England by adoptive parents. The story examines what it means to belong to a place, to a family, to a tribe, from each character's perspective. The writing is beautiful and the story is heartbreakingly sad. While I appreciated the writing and the premise was interesting, I felt the story was a bit disjointed and I never really connected with it.