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cristinareading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, and War
reading_moth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
hanandrews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Abortion
milkfran'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
It’s hard to love any of the characters but it’s hard to hate them either: Franzen’s gift is to make them human as they wrestle with small dilemas that seem like big ones (“should I have an affair with a woman from church?”) and big dilemas that seem like small ones (“am I a coward for accepting a deferment for the draft?”).
Really excited for the next ones if it’s going to be a trilogy!
Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
lily_kruse'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
jessidbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Classism
alimalina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It is setup from the very beginning that this much like the Hildebrandslied, these people are only family in name, lacking the actual bonds that would make them recogniseble to one another. Everyone is too much up in their heads, busy fighting the God (their conscience if anything really) to even see people they live with.
The story of a Midwest family that hate each other is such a cliche but the text is aware of itself enough to be interesting. All of the characters are tragic, set up to lose the thing they coveted the most, destined to never escape the fate living in godless land presented them with. Your agency, mind and principles will be lost and forgotten, only the mundane and boringly inevitable to stay.
The writing is solid, the idea is executed brilliantly, the points of view of characters play with and against each other in an engaging way.
I am afraid that the novel still slightly overstays it's welcome.
Two questions have slightly bothered since finishing it: a) was this just a long setup to the trilogy and
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Abortion
soavezefiretto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Drug abuse and Rape
Moderate: Mental illness
clarissas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol