Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary

3 reviews

dizzzybrook's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

I'm extremely conflicted as to how I feel about this one. I wanted to love this so bad but just.. didn't. I think somewhere along the way, I was under the assumption that this book was going to focus on the friendship between the two main characters but the majority of the story is about just about Juno. I prefer character driven stories over plot driven ones, and though this is a character driven story, I felt as if the insight into both Juno and Legs's characters was very bare bones and somewhat surface level. A lot of things happen in this book, but I didn't particularly feel as if I knew either Juno or Legs on a deeper level, rather I was just able to empathize with their stories. There is some very beautiful writing throughout which made the reading worthwhile, however, I did not enjoy the pacing and I'm generally not the biggest fan of time jumps. Oddly, I felt as if Legs was a relatively small part of this book which I'm not sure was the intention. It didn't feel as if the author ever fully demonstrated why Juno and Legs cared for each other as much as they did which greatly hindered my interest in the story. Per usual, I had too high of expectations, but would still definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy Irish literature.

 

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travelseatsreads's review

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Juno Love Legs is a coming of age story which follows a young adolescent girl, Juno, as she painfully navigates who she is and who she will soon become. Alongside Juno, we also get to see the story of Legs, her faithful childhood friend, as their friendship blossoms into a stunning display of platonic love. Set in bleak and sorrowful Dublin during the 80s, the book details the many struggles they face but also the many amazing experiences they have along the way.

While set in those bleak and poverty stricken streets of 1980s Dublin and reeking of the stench of the Catholic Church and its vice-like grip, the book somehow manages to maintain an air of hope and beauty that you cannot resist smiling at. This is carried by a stream of beautiful and colourful characters alongside some simply stunning prose.

Geary has woven an evocative, vivid and immersive telling of the stories of those kids who just don’t fit in, who are made of pure grit and stubbornness that somehow manage to dig themselves from the dirt they were landed in to create something so much more.

I never cry at books, in fact I could probably count the number on one hand, but this left me devastated with more than a few tears. I implore you to read it but with the warning and promise that it will break your heart in the most stunning of ways.

"Even horrible people can have their hearts broken."

If you enjoyed this review come follow me on Instagram @TravelsEatsReads for more

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giselley's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-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

2.0


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