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ameluuche's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Rape, Infertility, Death of parent, Hate crime, Torture, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Suicide, and War
leahisdudish's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Miscarriage, Death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Addiction, Suicide, Sexual violence, Murder, Infertility, Infidelity, Gun violence, Drug use, Rape, Torture, War, Domestic abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
lilcoppertop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
scifipunk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical trauma, War, Rape, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide, Abortion, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Homophobia, and Murder
Note that all minor warnings refer to usually less than a page of content, not explicit and are easy to skim or skip. Grief is not particularly explicit, only tagged as major because it is a recurring theme for several characters. Alcohol (and alcohol abuse) is mentioned several times with different characters, including as response to trauma, but not explicit. Death is never explicit, but given that the novel takes place within 107 years, to be expected. Medical trauma refers to a long scene early in Kitty’s part of the book, which involves a traumatic encounter with the soviet secret service. Can be easily skipped, as consequences are addressed later on. Several wars are mentioned, multiple characters experience a traumatic rape, though most of both happens off-screen or is somewhat censored by the narrator.wlarianna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Torture, Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Infertility
Moderate: Police brutality, Deportation, Abortion, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, and Death of parent
ssreadsintranslation's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Suicide
Minor: Abortion, Cancer, Drug use, Drug abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Infertility, Misogyny, Outing, and Ableism
sherbertwells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
“Despite my years of struggling both for and with this country, I have not managed to replace it, to drive it out of me like an evil spirit that beset me. No ritual purification, no repression mechanism has yet been of any assistance. Because everywhere I went, travelling further and further from my country, I was searching for the squandered, scattered, wasted, unused love I’d left behind” (10)
“For Daria and me, the Soviet Union meant: constant funeral marches and processions as aged gentlemen of the Communist Party were carried to their graves; carnations everywhere, macabre spectacles broadcast on all the television channels. For us, the Soviet Union meant: endless summer camps, Pioneer neckerchiefs. Tea plantations, apiaries, and kolkoɀes. White knee-socks from China, tapestries of hunting scenes on the walls, Mishka Na Severe chocolates, and Lagidze’s tarragon lemonade. Our grandfather’s GAZ-13, the brightly coloured blocks of Plasticine with the frog on them, yellow Krya-Krya children’s shampoo, Grandfather’s Start shaving cream, the talcum powder in the bathroom cabinet with the cat’s head on the pot, which we weren’t allowed to use. Hygiene body lotion and Stasia’s Red Moscow perfume, which smelled of old people and was enough to give you a headache. The odorless brown bath-soap that was actually called ‘Bath Soap’” (631)
“Live through all wars. Cross all borders. To you I dedicate all gods and all rosaries, all burnings, all decapitated hopes, all stories. Break through them. Because you have the means to do it, Brilka. The eight—remember it. All of us will always be interwoven in this number and will always be able to listen to each other, down through the centuries” (6)
Graphic: Rape, Alcoholism, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, and Gun violence
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Cancer, and Child abuse
Minor: Antisemitism, Fatphobia, and Cannibalism
tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition
1.5
One more thing (that hardly needs saying) a book focusing on a family in the Soviet Union in the 20th century does not need an additional something that brings people misfortune or bad luck - terrible things were happening anyway! The magical hot chocolate was redundant.
On the whole a dissatisfying read.
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Violence