excitedheart 's review for:

The Overstory by Richard Powers

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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I don’t know that I’ve ever cared as much about each individual in such a large mix of characters, I’ll usually have a favorite or two but this story really pulls you into all of their lives so deeply and does not allow you to untangle them. Their beautiful and heartbreaking backstories are all so engaging, and the ways they connect are slightly less but still very exciting and compelling. I was suspicious of this book’s universal praise but I feel so rewarded for reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Rape, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol