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cyden's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Trafficking, and Grief
Minor: Police brutality and Pregnancy
andreapap15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
Minor: Deadnaming and Abortion
sydneyjn's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Deadnaming
milliminal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The concept, the narrative, the cast of diverse characters and stories, the vivid and immersive descriptions of Istanbul
What I disliked:
The sheer amount of trauma, which almost started feeling like sensationalism, especially when accompanied with little to no reflection on it. (I wish I had read the trigger warnings before hand.) How much the first part slogged in comparison to the second and third parts.
It was a good read but does not make me motivated to read other works by Shafak.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
filo's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming
rashi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
annimsal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Trafficking, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry
reb_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Transphobia, Islamophobia, and Trafficking
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟
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⏳ The plot: Our main character is Leila. Vibrant, defiant, vital; after being rejected by her family she flees to Istanbul where she makes a living as a sex worker, gathering a disparate group of friends around her to become a second family. She is murdered on the first page. The rest of the novel traces her thoughts in the 10 minutes and 38 seconds after her heart stops beating, and her friends’ efforts to put her peacefully to rest.
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This is a bookstagram favourite and I can certainly see why. From the first page the writing is amazing - there were so many phrases that I underlined or starred because they seemed so peculiar and true. You come to care deeply about each of the characters, and the structure the book is told in is intriguing and compels you forward. Honestly I think it’s really remarkable.
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That said, I would love to read some reviews from any trans readers who picked this up - one of the best characters in the whole thing is Nalan, a trans woman who is one of the band of friends that rally around Leila in Istanbul. Leila meets Nalan before she starts transitioning, and at this point he/him pronouns are used. This makes sense in the context of their meeting, but then there’s one part in the second half of the novel where he/him pronouns were used to refer to Nalan that I just found jarring, to the extent that I wonder if it’s a typo! If anyone has read any reviews from trans readers that deal with this aspect of the novel I would love to read them.
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🌊 Read it if you love stories about deep friendships, and omnipotent narration that gives you a bird’s eye view of a story.
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🚫 Avoid it if you’re avoiding stories that include sexual assault, paedophilia, transphobia, violence, and grief. I’d really recommend looking up content warnings for this one if you’re in any doubt about it!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Deadnaming, Miscarriage, Self harm, and Medical content