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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
17 reviews
etbishop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Racism and Abortion
Moderate: Grief
claudine2's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I enjoyed learning about the early manuscripts and art that she helped Mr. Morgan acquire. It makes me wish I had appreciated the early books I saw at the British Museum more and also makes me want to visit NYC to see the library and its holdings.
This was my 2nd Marie Benedict and 1st Victoria Christopher Murray book. Excited to see that they also collaborated on The First Ladies!
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
cptnstphy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: War
gris_zorra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and War
dev921's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
leannanecdote's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexism, Slavery, and War
mysterymom40's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Abandonment, and Classism
marrireadsandrambles's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual content, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
kaycie51782's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book covers a lot of deep topics, and it doesn't hold much back. Be warned: there blatant racism, misogyny, heavy alcohol consumption, abortion, abandonment...
My main criticism of the book is that it's told in first person, but it very deliberately and overtly points things out. I think telling it in omniscient third person would have felt less like I was hearing a summary than a story. It's like in video games where the next person you need to talk to is highlighted, the author basically points and says "Look at this" instead of molding it into the story.
The book is less about what is in the library (though it is discussed) and more about how she loves through the world carefully, deliberately, and choosing to hide in plain sight. It was a fascinating look at life in 1900s New York as a woman, moving in orbit around the ultra rich (Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, etc.) but being constantly terrified of having it all taken away.
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Alcohol, and Classism
kcrockford's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent