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A review by linesiunderline
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Pull of the Stars is an incredible read. I finished it in less than 24 hours because I just couldn’t bear to draw out knowing the fates of the characters.
It’s about the strength and suffering of women, the resilience of humanity, the politics of illness and poverty, and ordinary heroism.
I might have thought that reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic would be too much, but I was surprised to find a strange sort of comfort in this story. Imagining the many lives before ours, the struggles and loss and the will to continue - it gave me hope. It’s a grim tale, but there is a lot of tenderness to be found in it as well.
There’s a love story that took me by surprise, and I’m not entirely sold on whether or not it was necessary to the narrative or consistent with the characters. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t well portrayed and that I didn’t accept it fairly quickly, but I didn’t see it coming at all.
Donoghue’s writing has a directness and immediacy about it, perfect for the intensity of this story, and then every so often a more lyrical passage shines out and is all the more memorable in the contrast.
Don’t be put off by the apparent darkness of this story. It’s full of hope and humanity.
It’s about the strength and suffering of women, the resilience of humanity, the politics of illness and poverty, and ordinary heroism.
I might have thought that reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic would be too much, but I was surprised to find a strange sort of comfort in this story. Imagining the many lives before ours, the struggles and loss and the will to continue - it gave me hope. It’s a grim tale, but there is a lot of tenderness to be found in it as well.
There’s a love story that took me by surprise, and I’m not entirely sold on whether or not it was necessary to the narrative or consistent with the characters. This isn’t to say that it wasn’t well portrayed and that I didn’t accept it fairly quickly, but I didn’t see it coming at all.
Donoghue’s writing has a directness and immediacy about it, perfect for the intensity of this story, and then every so often a more lyrical passage shines out and is all the more memorable in the contrast.
Don’t be put off by the apparent darkness of this story. It’s full of hope and humanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse and Forced institutionalization