Reviews

This is a very challenging review to write!

Pros: some of the writing (particularly the first couple of chapters) was brilliant, the architecture of the chapters made scenes particularly tense and impactful. Also the sort of long term character arch is very well done and reminded me very much of the Dubliners by James Joyce.

However, it was very slow to read, especially from about page 50 to 150 I found it very uninteresting and not enough plot to keep me hooked. Once Marcello emerged as a main character (maybe halfway through) then I became very interested again. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen in the end. The last scene was really beautifully done and evokes all sorts of emotions and themes that we’ve seen through the book.

TLDR: very slow with little plot in the first half, second half picks up. Some very well done themes and metaphors and writing style, at times a bit boring and monotonous. Probably great for a book club but not a quick easy read

rhodamae's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

ellemcclintock's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

sillyyjillyy7's review against another edition

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reflective 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? Yes

5.0

aurora_is_reading's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

unemarguerite's review against another edition

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3.0

not as good as i expected, sadly. there was way too manh characters, and i didn't get attached to any of them (and this is a very character-centric book!!). i feel like things could become more interesting since the girls are almost adults at the end of the book, but i don't know if i really want to read the rest of the series. we'll see!!

hanard's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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