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ajp824's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death and Murder
anni_in_wonderland's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
1.0
My issues with this book:
1. Unlikable main character
“He was handsome in a way that would be attractive to certain women - the kind who rarely call the police when things go wrong at home because, on some miserable secret level, they believe they deserve things to go wrong at home. Wrong things that result in black eyes, dislocated elbows, the occasional cigarette burn on the booby. These are women who more often than not call their husbands or lovers Daddy, as in ‘Can I bring you a beer, daddy?’ or ‘Did you have a hard day at work, daddy?’”
This character is sometimes referred to as “Daddy” later on in the book, it is unknown if he is married or in a relationship and there are no women present in this scene. And yet for some reason Mike Noonan - I am giving King the benefit of the doubt that he wrote an unlikable main character on purpose - manages to make the entire description of his first impression of this man about blaming and shaming victims of domestic abuse. I just can’t with it - and I nearly did not finish at this point.
Something kept me going though. Lucky me, because I would have missed an absolute banger. This time Noonan is describing another henchman of super-evil-villain-guy:
Wow, just wow. This reeks of “I’m not a fatphobe, look I have fat friends, but…” The way these descriptions are worked into the book are just bizarre and expose Noonan as a bigot. Now, maybe this is King’s intention, maybe we are supposed to like the main character but then why do we spend so much time with him and why does the narrative frame him like the good guy? This is worsened by the fact I find all the female side characters - Sara Tidwell, Jo Noonan and Mattie Devore - to be much more interesting. I would have enjoyed their perspectives.
The main villain of the book is Max Devore, Mattie’s father-in-law who is fighting for custody of his granddaughter. He employs a number of evil lackeys to do the dirty work for him, including a lady who is his PA and who is always written to seem closer to his age (he is in his eighties) but then the epilogue casually throws in:
Graphic: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Murder
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
badgerwaffles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
melissahawco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
kingsteph's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
kessejeen'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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
ibenskou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Rape and Murder
sillysnail111'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Rape
Moderate: Child death, Racism, Suicide, Car accident, and Murder
shrektien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment