Scan barcode
rei_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
deedireads's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Pearl was the last title I read from the 2023 Booker Prize longlist, and what a lovely way to cap things off!
This book is a short but impactful look at grief, motherhood (and mothering in the absence of a mother), mental illness, and the lasting effects of all three. Hughes is a poet, and it shows. She took her whole life to write this book — in many different forms, many different times, until she found the heart of it all — and that shows, too. She’s also said the idea for the book started with a writing exercise in which she wrote about a particularly quirky house along her commute, which evolved into the house that made it into the final version of the book. That book, almost a character in itself, was one of my favorite parts. I also quite liked the ending!
That said, it’s not perfect — while everyone at book club agreed that we liked it, we also agreed that the details slipped right out of our brains like water as soon as we finished reading it. I also wasn’t a big fan of the way the book started in the present day and then permanently switched to the past — I expected it to go back and forth between the timelines. I think that choice slowed some of the book’s momentum, but that’s a relatively minor complaint.
If you are looking for a short but beautifully written little Irish novel, this one is for you.
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide
emlo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Suicide
thesecretbookclub's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicide, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child death
thekingbeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Eating disorder and Self harm
Minor: Suicide
notthatcosta's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I would give this 5* but the quality dipped so much in chapters 11-13 that it almost ruined the book for me. I guess I just find bratty, angsty teenagers insufferable in any and every form and context.
Overall, one of the most impactful novels I've read in recent memory, and to know that the story was very much informed by Sian Hughes' own experiences and childhood makes it even more special.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
christinahill'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
corrina_milito's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death and Suicide
ropey's review against another edition
4.0
Minor: Suicide