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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I felt as though I was time-traveling, reading this novel. Waters’ research is meticulous, but she never lets you see it. Instead she creates a very believable 1940s London, and weaves her characters lives in and around the horrors of the war and its aftermath, as if they’re friends and neighbors. I think I know what a five-star book is, and then I read something like this and I wish there were more stars to give.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, War
08/10 for this one. I really enjoyed it but not as much as Fingersmith.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Antisemitism
A perfect example that not all Booker nominated novels are hard going, I found this a beautifully easy read. I loved the characters and the descriptions of wartime London. It makes you think how it really was a time of huge change for women. The downside to this book is that it goes backwards in time so we discover more about the characters' pasts but nothing about their future. I was left wanting to know what happened to them all.
emotional
reflective
fast-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
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am not usually a fan of books set in wartime but i really got into this one in the last half
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very disappointed with this novel. I am a big fan of Sarah Waters but this book was very anti-climatic and I liked very few of the characters. Her first three novel are much much better.