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lauralina2345's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Hard things do happen in the book, but there’s a community of support and a banging together that eases the edgealphabetmafiamember's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Classism
helfire124's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
bookhead420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
mypoormeatball's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Here is the spirit of this novel to me:
Imagine, on plain and warm day, a cherished adult mentor, in their old age, clutches you to their chest in a moment you’re vulnerable — a child, you’re grappling with the kind of profound disappointment and fear of growing up kids can’t always put into words — and as they hold you every memory of their own life and childhood and that of everyone they’ve ever loved, known in passing, and never met flashes before their eyes and they understand and love you and themselves and everyone on earth better than they could ever put into words. And then they rub you on the head and give you a snack and you feel a little better. They watch you play outside while they sit in a porch chair and think about how you both will be grow forever and ever and ever, warmth squeezing the air out of their heart and lungs.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
oriana095's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death and Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
tremayna's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Medical content, and Death of parent
Written before the 2020 pandemic, this book about a fictional global viral event was disorienting to read in the year 2023, so closely following the eerily parallel events that came to pass in real life. Much of the real life pandemic is still in progress; its effects continue to leave their mark; the process of compartmentalizing memories of things surreal and too big to process without a biweekly therapy plan is still happening. Picking up this book jolted me back into the thick of pandemic thinking, creating a literal sense of disorientation where I was looking around me wondering how people could be sitting so close, maskless, touching everything without thought, when I hadn't seen the world that way in at least a year and a half. For that reason alone, I have to commend the writing. And at the same time, the author's delicate touch and the many moments of human normalcy, in both pre-event and post-event scenes, prevented the complete despair that could have pervaded this story. I felt St John Mandel balanced total devastation with enough possibility to keep the reader believing in the likelihood of meaningful survival without overdoing it and allowing the story to devolve into purely a feel good fantasy.spineofthesaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, and Pregnancy
jg34's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Suicide
This story is about a post epidemic world and all the survivalism stuff that comes with living in a collapsed societybdingz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Annoying trope of
Still, I loved the writing style. I hope to read more from Emily St. John Mandel.
Graphic: Death and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, and Suicide