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A review by brogan7
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
adventurous
dark
informative
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
This book starts off like a lightning bolt and you just want to follow it through. Pandemic, births, deaths, what could be more compelling?
Intelligent, fast paced, steeped in a time and place...it has everything.
But then...I felt Donoghue got ahead of herself. She started rushing headlong. She made executive plot decisions that weren't in rhythm with her characters. I didn't necessarily believe plot elements that were key...and when you stop believing, well, the story frays.
Julia Power's innocence seemed contrived, to me: for such an intensely competent woman to suddenly be portrayed as blind to women's common problems (Mary O'Rahilly's abusive husband)? I didn't buy that for a second.
I wanted the story to stay strong and be somehow insightful as to the human condition, and instead I felt like it drifted into pure entertainment, "what happened next?" but without teaching us anything significant...which I thought was rather strange, given its strong start pointing in that direction.
Intelligent, fast paced, steeped in a time and place...it has everything.
But then...I felt Donoghue got ahead of herself. She started rushing headlong. She made executive plot decisions that weren't in rhythm with her characters. I didn't necessarily believe plot elements that were key...and when you stop believing, well, the story frays.
Julia Power's innocence seemed contrived, to me: for such an intensely competent woman to suddenly be portrayed as blind to women's common problems (Mary O'Rahilly's abusive husband)? I didn't buy that for a second.
I wanted the story to stay strong and be somehow insightful as to the human condition, and instead I felt like it drifted into pure entertainment, "what happened next?" but without teaching us anything significant...which I thought was rather strange, given its strong start pointing in that direction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Medical content