itsnotsarah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The overall tone of this book is very depressing, which is not really surprising given the topic, but I would still advise against reading this book if you are currently not feeling so well already or if something traumatic has happened to you recently. Chances are pretty high that this one would make it worse (it did for me).
The heavy drinking and alcoholism of many characters was very triggering for me, but I had to read this book for one of my university classes. I think it is a good book, if you want to know what it felt like living in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, but otherwise just depressing and uncomfortable to read.
The main relationship also comes out of nowhere and he is double her age, which is not necessarily bad, but I personally didn’t like it. Especially since it’s also.
The heavy drinking and alcoholism of many characters was very triggering for me, but I had to read this book for one of my university classes. I think it is a good book, if you want to know what it felt like living in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, but otherwise just depressing and uncomfortable to read.
The main relationship also comes out of nowhere and he is double her age, which is not necessarily bad, but I personally didn’t like it. Especially since it’s also
Spoiler
an affair
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage
lostinthelibrary's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a great book for anyone with an interest but basic knowledge about The Troubles. There is a lot of violence which escalates throughout the book both for the characters and in general from well placed news snippets.
But this book is only partly about that. It is also about relationships, family dynamics and the unfair position working class people and women were put into during this era. While few characters were likeable, their actions made sense amongst the setting and the writing was very evocative of the era.
There were a few things that bothered me along the way in the writing (please use speech marks, it's pretentious not to) and the plot (wanting to shake Cushla throughout) but overall a very positive reading experience that provided a great discussion for our book club.
But this book is only partly about that. It is also about relationships, family dynamics and the unfair position working class people and women were put into during this era. While few characters were likeable, their actions made sense amongst the setting and the writing was very evocative of the era.
There were a few things that bothered me along the way in the writing (please use speech marks, it's pretentious not to) and the plot (wanting to shake Cushla throughout) but overall a very positive reading experience that provided a great discussion for our book club.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
Moderate: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Classism
milliegenevieve's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Infertility, Hate crime, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Blood
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