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bumble_abi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The multiple perspectives really help to nail home the novel's key themes about the utterly ludicrous nature of racist British attitudes, particularly against the historical backdrop. I really loved that all our narrators are flawed in some way or another - all equally human, with weaknesses that overlap in really resonant ways (the way Hortense and Bernard both jump to conclusions, how Queenie and Hortense both consider themselves a little above those they grew up with, how Gilbert and Bernard both naively cling to hopes of heroism and harebrained schemes for riches, how Queenie and Hortense and Gilbert all get married for primary reasons that aren't love). There's a wonderful subtlety to Levy's characterisation, and her characters are so believable.
I don't think the novel necessarily needed the
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and War
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality, Sexual content, Colonisation, Infidelity, and Gore
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
crazytourists_books's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I liked the characters, they could all be my next door neighbours, people I meet everyday at my kids school. They were very well developed, with good and bad moments, with flaws and virtues. They could be real humans. And that, in combination with a good story, is what makes a great book.
The story itself is quite interesting, the pre and post WWII English society, with the not so subtle racism towards the citizens of their colonies, who were obviously good enough to exploit and use and have them fight in the war but not good enough to walk in the pavements of "the mother country", work and live and prosper.
It does show the ugly face of England, that mentality and argument used by the brexit supporters against immigrants. And that ugly face is portrayed brilliantly.
A great book, a worthy winner of the awards that it received.
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, War, Mental illness, and Xenophobia
annaem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence
afion's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Pregnancy and Pedophilia
Minor: Excrement
sarah984's review
- 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
The character voices were all unique and it was interesting to see the same situations from their different points of view. I docked a star because it started getting kind of melodramatic and silly near the end.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Dementia, and Gun violence
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Excrement, Terminal illness, and Incest
I marked incest here because there is a character who is in love with her second cousin and spends a significant portion of the novel obsessing over him, but nothing much actually happens between them.