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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer
33 reviews
corriejn's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, War, and Confinement
isobelline's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I can see a lot of people falling in love with this book. Unfortunately, I am not one of them.
Things I liked:
- the descriptions of Guernsey, its nature and the daily life of its inhabitants
- the premise. The idea of a book club on a secluded island during World War II is a really interesting concept!
- the side-characters. They were rather charming and I wish the book was about them and not about Juliet.
Now, let's move on to the things that I didn't like:
- the format. I feel that ultimately the epistolary format is a hinderance to this narrative. It can work in a lot of other cases, but this one probably should have been told straight. Also, the epistolary format could have been a great tool for character development, it could be used to give each character a unique and distinct voice. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. All letters were written in the same kind of tone with the same type of humor, almost all of them expressed the same sentiments. A real missed opportunity, in my opinion.
- the protagonist. Oh, Juliet. You know, she is a lot like Mrs. Maisel. At times, she is incredibly funny and charming. At other times, she is insufferable. Despite what some might say, at several moments I found her to be rather close-minded and self-absorbed. She couldn't possibly think that other people might have opinions that are different from hers. That other people might not like the things that she likes, or not care about the things that she cares about. I should also point out that Juliet and Elizabeth are basically the same character; they have the same personality traits, the react to things similarly, have the same attitudes, etc. That made it really hard for me to care about Elizabeth (and this book really wanted me to!) because I was really not on board the Juliet-train.
- the lack of realism. Characters in this book are surprisingly happy for people who have just witnessed the horrors of World War II and the German Occupation. They're way too accepting for people from the 1940s, they're just too damn nice. I would have loved to see a greater diversity of opinions and attitudes when it comes to characters.
Entering spoiler territory:
The Oscar Wilde letters storyline was when this novel really jumped the shark for me. That just came out of nowhere and led nowhere, was completely unnecessary and random. Also, why would they give Isola a book on phrenology??? You know, a pseudoscience that was used by THE NAZIS??? The ones that occupied Guernsey??? That was so goddamn weird.
Things I liked:
- the descriptions of Guernsey, its nature and the daily life of its inhabitants
- the premise. The idea of a book club on a secluded island during World War II is a really interesting concept!
- the side-characters. They were rather charming and I wish the book was about them and not about Juliet.
Now, let's move on to the things that I didn't like:
- the format. I feel that ultimately the epistolary format is a hinderance to this narrative. It can work in a lot of other cases, but this one probably should have been told straight. Also, the epistolary format could have been a great tool for character development, it could be used to give each character a unique and distinct voice. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. All letters were written in the same kind of tone with the same type of humor, almost all of them expressed the same sentiments. A real missed opportunity, in my opinion.
- the protagonist. Oh, Juliet. You know, she is a lot like Mrs. Maisel. At times, she is incredibly funny and charming. At other times, she is insufferable. Despite what some might say, at several moments I found her to be rather close-minded and self-absorbed. She couldn't possibly think that other people might have opinions that are different from hers. That other people might not like the things that she likes, or not care about the things that she cares about. I should also point out that Juliet and Elizabeth are basically the same character; they have the same personality traits, the react to things similarly, have the same attitudes, etc. That made it really hard for me to care about Elizabeth (and this book really wanted me to!) because I was really not on board the Juliet-train.
- the lack of realism. Characters in this book are surprisingly happy for people who have just witnessed the horrors of World War II and the German Occupation. They're way too accepting for people from the 1940s, they're just too damn nice. I would have loved to see a greater diversity of opinions and attitudes when it comes to characters.
Entering spoiler territory:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, and War
laurataylor's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Sexual content, War, Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
ali_inthegarden's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Una lettura decisamente carina e dolce, non è certo il romanzo della vita, ma il giusto libro per tornare a leggere in lingua.
Pro: un libro che parla di libri, ambientato in un luogo che sembra speciale ed in cui vorrei vivere anche io. Molto apprezzato il racconto di un pezzo di storia assolutamente sconosciuto.
Contro: i romanzi epistolari non sono mai stati il mio genere e ho sempre trovato questo modo di raccontare faticoso da seguire, quasi frustrante. Avrei voluto leggere questa storia "più da vicino" e sono sicura che se fosse stato scritto come un romanzo classico avrei apprezzato molto di più anche la storia.
Il finale è un pochino abbozzato e lasciato lì, anche alcune dinamiche avrei voluto fossero più approfondite.
Tutto sommato comunque una bella lettura. Voglio assolutamente riguardare il film con Lily James, che ai tempi mi era piaciuto tantissimo e che forse continuerebbe a piacermi più del libro originale.
Pro: un libro che parla di libri, ambientato in un luogo che sembra speciale ed in cui vorrei vivere anche io. Molto apprezzato il racconto di un pezzo di storia assolutamente sconosciuto.
Contro: i romanzi epistolari non sono mai stati il mio genere e ho sempre trovato questo modo di raccontare faticoso da seguire, quasi frustrante. Avrei voluto leggere questa storia "più da vicino" e sono sicura che se fosse stato scritto come un romanzo classico avrei apprezzato molto di più anche la storia.
Il finale è un pochino abbozzato e lasciato lì, anche alcune dinamiche avrei voluto fossero più approfondite.
Tutto sommato comunque una bella lettura. Voglio assolutamente riguardare il film con Lily James, che ai tempi mi era piaciuto tantissimo e che forse continuerebbe a piacermi più del libro originale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and War
Minor: Vomit
sarahlizzie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and War
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit and Racial slurs
afion's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, and Confinement
Moderate: Animal death
gabbygarcia's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Grief, and War
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, and Car accident
lea_fox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, Antisemitism, Death, and Hate crime
blewballoon's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
I listened to this as an audiobook that had a large cast of narrators to cover all of the different voices, and I adored it. I didn't know much about the book going into it, I knew I had liked the movie and one of my favorite narrators (Rosalyn Landor) was included. It is much better than the movie. Despite being told in epistolary style, the characters feel so rich and real. It was easy to see how Juliet would grow to love them, and they to love her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Minor: Slavery, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, and Murder
livelyghost's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It took me a while to get into this book because it’s written as a series of letters, but once I got more familiar with the pace it turned into a comforting piece. As a lady who loves eavesdropping, reading a series of personal letters was a fun treat. I frankly didn’t know the Channel Islands existed, much less that they were occupied by the Germans during World War Two. Hearing about what happening in fictional letters made it more personal and real. Juliet is very sunny and feels like your oldest, coolest friend. I would love to visit Guernsey to think about the history and these characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal death, Genocide, War, and Animal cruelty