Reviews

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

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hazyblue's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

maddykris's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

smilesgiggle's review against another edition

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5.0

I stayed up well past my bedtime two nights in a row to finish this book.
Wow. Creative. Evocative. Thought provoking. Intense. So well done.
Sally Diamond lives an isolated life - preferring her small village thinks she is deaf. Sally doesn't talk or interact. Until her early 40s with the death of her father, Sally begins her life.
Sally's narration is juxtaposed to Peter, the other child of her parents. He did escape his father's abuse until his late teens.
Nature vs Nurture. Surviving and healing. Therapy. So many topics to discuss.
One of the best of the year.

caroyou's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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? It's complicated

4.0

thebookishboymom's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I absolutely love Sally Diamond! Her unapologetic view of the word is refreshing. Sally holds very little back as she works through her new life and there are moments of laughter, tears, fears and understanding that are beautiful to see unfold.

While Sally may not always understand the how and why of life after the loss of her father, us readers get to experience her world with her in a new, fresh way. We walk hand and hand with Sally as she tackles independence and freedom for the first time in 42 years.

The mysterious storyline throughout this book kept me invested from start to finish. However, there is loss and abuse that we learn about as Sally’s history unfolds that truly makes me sad for Sally and her biological family. This story is reminiscent of the book/film “Room” which I enjoyed as well.