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alli_tayls's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault
belou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Abortion
chloeereesss'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
beanjoles's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Factually and historically, it's an informative and interesting book. I enjoyed learning about the lives of everyday people during this time period, particularly that of the German resistance. And I'm actually glad Follett didn't attempt to write heavily about or from the perspective of someone in a concentration camp — it would have been hard for him to do respectfully yet realistically.
That's actually my primary criticism of this book: lack of respectful and realistic representation. Having read the entire Kingsbridge series and now two of the Century of Giants trilogy, I am simply BEGGING Ken to learn how to write a woman character. I cannot describe how irritated I was reading about Carla's experience
Ken's treatment of queer people is better, although
I remain baffled that Ken has been married multiple times to women, because the sex scenes always feel so weird. This criticism applies for all his previous books that I've read, and I'm unsure how he's managed to never improve them over the years. I guess when the books sell, why bother. The descriptions of bodies and acts can feel a bit schoolboyish. Why do I need to know the size of each woman character's bush and breasts? The male characters never get this treatment. (Not that I want them to!)
I think this all boils down to Ken's inherent difficulty relating with the female characters he writes. To his credit, he does try to have them engage with the feminism topics du jour, and sometimes he achieves meaningful commentary and true-to-life reactions. But (many) other times his writing resembles that tongue-in-cheek meme about Cassandra "breasting boobily to the stairs." It's a real weakness for all of his work, and Winter of the World represented a particular low for me. I get the impression that Ken thinks making a woman character smart and strong makes up for being unable to meaningfully write about their motivations and emotional landscapes. That approach rarely pays off, and despite their intricacy and historical value, his books are worse off for it.
I'll continue on in the series because for me, the historically-grounded and well-researched stories are still worthwhile. But I could really do without the sophomoric romances between shallow characters. Here's hoping the next one is less cringe in that department.
Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and War
Moderate: Abortion
Heaviest possible content warning possible for rape. This is not a triggering topic I'm particularly sensitive to, but I was still a bit nauseated by the writing.morsa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Abortion
cathy_alice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, and War
lizzyfields's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and War
Moderate: Genocide and Infidelity
motivationsloch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Torture, and Outing
Minor: Suicide and Abortion