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clairebartholomew549's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
befrazzledenby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
teacupsandfirereads'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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
mollysmith1313's review against another edition
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Saying that you wish a book had been a different book/that a story had been told differently feels like a cop-out in a review. An author chooses the story they want to tell, and that is the story the reader receives. Amanda Peters wanted to tell the story of two siblings who were torn apart by an awful act, and how the trauma of that act was mirrored throughout their lives into adulthood and middle age.
The problems with this are that a) the drama of the book lags in the middle as the two characters move away from their traumatic childhood, before the reckoning of mortality brings them back to it in middle age, and b) the story of Joe is ultimately not as strong or believable as that of Norma's. I think this would have been a better book had it concentrated only on Ruthie's disappearance, or
Similarly, I think a multiplicity of viewpoints, such as the other siblings, or the parents, or the Ellises who owned the berry farm, would have made the story stronger.
The highlight of this book for me was the way Peters wrote the complicated, twisted, guilt-ridden love between Norma and her mother. It was painful, heartwrenching, and rang utterly true.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Genocide
aposthuma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism
abicaro17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
rsagarin's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
mdavis26's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism