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seanml's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
One of the longest, but also one of the best, books I’ve ever read. The Source follows a single lineage of people in the Levant, from the beginning of the Neolithic, around 10,000 years ago, to the 1960s. Alongside them you follow the beginnings of religious thought, until it becomes incipient Judaism, and onward through all its growing pains and offshoots to the modern day. The book is framed like a novella, but in this case they are all connected and based on the foundations of the previous stories. Because of this the plot does not always need to be pushed forward, and most of the length is focused on the day-to-day life that took place at the given time. The breaking up of the story keeps it from being exhaustive, and each section is just as interesting as the next. In the end, if the first sentence of the synopsis sounding intriguing, I highly recommend it. 9.5/10.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation