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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia
I think this could make an entertaining movie, but as a book it was pretty dull and predictable.
I wanted to like this - WWII, London, female characters - but I ended up reading it just to finish. The characters aren't people you really care about, and the movement backward in time tends to annoy rather than engage. I'm even reading it in London, so if being in the actual setting couldn't draw me in, I think it's safe to say this was a dud.
What an interesting way to tell a story! I had sworn off WW2 books, but this one has me rethinking my position. I enjoyed that the book included realistic trials and tribulations that all the characters suffered during the war, but stayed well out of "trauma porn" territory. Going backwards in time was very satisfying, in that I felt I was able to put together the pieces of these characters' lives— it was as though I was let in on an inside joke every time I realized what the characters had been making reference to earlier in the book.
I listened to this as an audiobook over a weekend road trip and felt compelled to finish it out once I got home right away rather than during my commute over time. It was a really compelling, powerful book, although like all of Sarah Waters' books, also poignant and sad. It brought up so many feelings. Most of all, it made me yearn.
If I have any complaints it's that I'm not sure the structure did wonders for it or that it wouldn't have done just as well with a more straightforward timeline. Also, it felt a little like a random chunk of the characters' lives rather than one particularly concerned with bringing them to resolution.
Those complaints are minor though, and I really loved this book.
If I have any complaints it's that I'm not sure the structure did wonders for it or that it wouldn't have done just as well with a more straightforward timeline. Also, it felt a little like a random chunk of the characters' lives rather than one particularly concerned with bringing them to resolution.
Those complaints are minor though, and I really loved this book.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my favorite Sarah Waters, but still excellent WWII historical fiction with incredible characters , superb twists/connections, and lovely little details throughout.
Spoiler
(Duncan x Robert forever <3)
Not my favorite Sarah Waters book, but still wonderful. I'm not usually a big historical fiction fan, but I love how she never gets distracted by the history to neglect the story.