carolita1128's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
agustinap's review against another edition
3.0
I received this ARC from the publisher. I have never read any books by Jamie Ford so I happily accepted it. This book has 4/5 main characters, at times I was confused who was who since it jumps back and forth so I created a genealogy tree to keep track of them. Each story was interesting on its own but it was just too much, I found myself skipping thru quite a lot.
ashleyreadsanything's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
littlefreeinterrobang's review against another edition
3.0
I found the notion of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance to be an intriguing plot device, and unlike some readers, I didn’t feel the concept’s real-world feasibility to be of any real consequence to the enjoyability of what is ultimately, after all, a fictional work. It’s much like stories with time travel to the past or things of that nature — the point is the interesting narratives that might be produced, not the actual plausibility of such mechanisms.
That said, as an interesting story, this book feels like something of a missed opportunity. There are quite a few character threads to keep track of, and while it is interesting visiting all their different lives, they don’t feel all that consequential to each other… even though that seems to be much of the book’s purported premise. I was originally expecting these different lives to weave together in some sort of interesting way, and while there are undoubtedly some shared threads, they fall short of actually creating a compelling tapestry.
Nonetheless, I would still consider this a worthwhile read, but at the end I was simply left wanting something a bit more.
That said, as an interesting story, this book feels like something of a missed opportunity. There are quite a few character threads to keep track of, and while it is interesting visiting all their different lives, they don’t feel all that consequential to each other… even though that seems to be much of the book’s purported premise. I was originally expecting these different lives to weave together in some sort of interesting way, and while there are undoubtedly some shared threads, they fall short of actually creating a compelling tapestry.
Nonetheless, I would still consider this a worthwhile read, but at the end I was simply left wanting something a bit more.
soawesomeness's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
candypop's review against another edition
5.0
Such a great idea for a book and all the women connected. So many timelines and stories. I’ve read a lot of books this year and they all start to have similar plots. But this one is special!
icewarrior's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
This book wrecked me. Devastating and poignant, simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. It broke me and healed my inner child at the same time.