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readingwithkt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Medical content, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Bullying, Blood, and Child death
deedireads's review
emotional
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
4.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Nightingale Point is a novel packed with great characters in situations that highlight the complexity of emotions and trauma. I liked it.
For you if: You like emotional, multi-POV novels.
FULL REVIEW:
Nightingale Point was longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize, and I’m glad it was, because I’m not sure I would have heard about it or picked it up otherwise. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I’m actually coming to appreciate it even more the longer it sits with me.
Inspired by true events, the story features a set of characters who all live in an apartment complex called Nightingale Point. Then one day, there’s a terrible tragedy, and it destroys pretty much everything they know. The rest of the novel is dedicated to the examination of all their different manifestations of trauma and steps toward healing.
What I think I liked best about this book was the really complex emotional situations she put her characters in. It’s not just the trauma from the event itself — it’s the twisty, layered, and sharply realistic way their very selves respond to that trauma, internalize it, and seek to heal. I also ended up listening to this one’s audiobook (which was great, btw), and the multiple-narrator cast really brought all these characters to life.
If you are one for multiple POVs and a close look at what makes us human, you might like this one too.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Nightingale Point is a novel packed with great characters in situations that highlight the complexity of emotions and trauma. I liked it.
For you if: You like emotional, multi-POV novels.
FULL REVIEW:
Nightingale Point was longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize, and I’m glad it was, because I’m not sure I would have heard about it or picked it up otherwise. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I’m actually coming to appreciate it even more the longer it sits with me.
Inspired by true events, the story features a set of characters who all live in an apartment complex called Nightingale Point. Then one day, there’s a terrible tragedy, and it destroys pretty much everything they know. The rest of the novel is dedicated to the examination of all their different manifestations of trauma and steps toward healing.
What I think I liked best about this book was the really complex emotional situations she put her characters in. It’s not just the trauma from the event itself — it’s the twisty, layered, and sharply realistic way their very selves respond to that trauma, internalize it, and seek to heal. I also ended up listening to this one’s audiobook (which was great, btw), and the multiple-narrator cast really brought all these characters to life.
If you are one for multiple POVs and a close look at what makes us human, you might like this one too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Mental illness, and Confinement
Moderate: Medical content, Blood, and Child abuse
sarah984's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The parts of the book describing the tragedy and its immediate aftermath are compelling but overall the book felt kind of pointless. The teenage girl and the intellectually disabled character both felt more like vehicles for other characters’ development than characters in their own right (and it's interesting in my opinion which slurs the author deemed fit for print) and I didn't like that a sexual relationship between a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old was written about like it was so romantic. Parts of the story involving her felt over the top.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
A major plot point in this book involves a disaster where
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