buildingtaste's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Amazing how I get so fed up with modern authors for going too fast through plot developments or not reasonably establishing the world, meanwhile Voltaire can be like "and then they went to South America for a bit" and I'll say "wow ok Francois where are you going with this one?" and the answer is "never mind that; we need to tend our garden."
Moderate: Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, War, Colonisation, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Antisemitism, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Islamophobia
Not sure I covered all the things that go down in this book, pretty much every chapter has some absolutely abysmal content.erica_palmisano's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I read this first in college and decided to reread because (a) I was 1 book shy of my goal for 2021 and (b) it was on my shelf, and (c) I liked it the last time I read it. There was more racism than I remembered (typical white lady me), and lots of fast-moving violence, but so much of the writing still made me chuckle and marvel a few times. And "tending one's garden" has more allure than when I was 20.
Minor: Abandonment, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Confinement, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
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