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harper42's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence
Minor: Racial slurs
tysuckz's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I genuinely think this has to be one of my favourite books that I have ever read. It does, however, fall a bit short from a 5 star read for a few reasons.
I thought the plot was very entertaining, and not quite what I expected it to be, especially in terms of the vast amount of violence and death that is involved in it. The main reasons I had it lose .25 were, firstly, it was quite misogynistic- which is quite characteristic of the time, I know, and that isn't the entire problem.... there was a LOT of dialogue from the women in the book; especially Olivia and Ann, however frequently they were ignored. Nothing would occur unless the men agreed amongst themselves, even if the women persisted... not until the men wanted it. Furthermore, I think the final chapter did fall a bit short, and was a little bit... predictable, I feel.
I had literally said to my partner that I expected David would die before the end of the book, although I expected him to die prior to their arrival, as opposed to because of their arrival. I also anticipated there would be some upheaval at David's due to the amount of people that were en route... and that was back when there were only the 10 (John, Ann, Mary, Davey, Millicent, Pirrie, Roger, Olivia, Spooks and Steven), not the eventual 30+!!! I just thought it was awful expectant that David would have enough supplies, first of all, for this many people, and second of all... that he would be willing to welcome in people he didn't know!!
Nevertheless, I did enjoy it majorly. I think the length is perfect for what the book is, really, although I would have liked if we knew more about the atom/hydrogen bombs, although I suppose maybe that was implied. Anyway, it did at times feel more like a war novel than a post-pandemic novel, but I was on the edge of my seat either way!!!
I thought the plot was very entertaining, and not quite what I expected it to be, especially in terms of the vast amount of violence and death that is involved in it. The main reasons I had it lose .25 were, firstly, it was quite misogynistic- which is quite characteristic of the time, I know, and that isn't the entire problem.... there was a LOT of dialogue from the women in the book; especially Olivia and Ann, however frequently they were ignored. Nothing would occur unless the men agreed amongst themselves, even if the women persisted... not until the men wanted it. Furthermore, I think the final chapter did fall a bit short, and was a little bit... predictable, I feel.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy it majorly. I think the length is perfect for what the book is, really, although I would have liked if we knew more about the atom/hydrogen bombs, although I suppose maybe that was implied. Anyway, it did at times feel more like a war novel than a post-pandemic novel, but I was on the edge of my seat either way!!!
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
kingabista's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Rape
skittledog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A similar apocalyptic vibe to other 1950s UK books I've read (e.g. John Wyndham), but with a more realistic/hard-science apocalypse that is due to a grass plague emerging in, er, China. Plays with similar themes of personal responsibility vs global morality, and the loss of humanity which may or may not be acceptable for survival. Some of the underpinning themes are a bit less well thought through, though - the author wants to make points about xenophobia and sexism, I feel, but didn't quite actually get round to making them because his own viewpoint was clearly still a little mired in them itself. But an interesting read, and a very small personal version of what surviving the first few days/weeks of societal collapse might actually look like.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Infidelity, and Cannibalism
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