pipeym's review against another edition
5.0
lyrical, flooring and unflinching. i love you shuggie bain
hollywaddell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
snackintosh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
juliad_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
youreawizardjerry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had not expected this story to orbit around Agnes as much as it did but I was surprisingly captivated. I thought a lot about my own mother throughout. There were many times I wished she were some abstract idea of “better”--that she would beat all the odds against her, that by some miracle she could wake up unharmed by her sufferings. I wished also that she could keep bigotry from reaching my shores. Both unfair, and impossible to actualize completely. Our mothers live only once just like everyone else.
It felt like I was in the rooms with them the entire time, fully immersed. Parts of this felt violently familiar and the parts that didn’t were deeply moving still. Masterfully melancholic. I wished there was one more chapter at the end, just a tad more time with Hugh, but I’m not disappointed at where it left off either. I was sad by the state, but they, you, we will keep going.
I am on fire. I do not burn.
It felt like I was in the rooms with them the entire time, fully immersed. Parts of this felt violently familiar and the parts that didn’t were deeply moving still. Masterfully melancholic. I wished there was one more chapter at the end, just a tad more time with Hugh, but I’m not disappointed at where it left off either. I was sad by the state, but they, you, we will keep going.
I am on fire. I do not burn.
zuzanae's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
booksforbrooks's review against another edition
4.0
I've struggled to rate this one. Four stars seems to be selling it short a little however it didn't quite hit me in the feels quite as much as I wanted, so I'm loathe to give the full five. I read books like this for a good cry and while I experienced a massive range of emotions while reading this, I didn't full blown weep. Exceptionally well written though and I'm really glad that my book club picked this one for this month as who knows when I would have read it otherwise. An excellent read.
leahfigiel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, and Sexual violence
spicychonk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5