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aoyenhi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
i am so sad i loved this as much as i did… problematic age gap and all… i don’t know why dwj did that bc i can definitely see a way for this book to have been written without it entirely…
but ughghgh it was so wonderful! the vibes were so perfect!! this was such a good little autumn read… i loved all of the characters sooo much and so deeply and tbh the ending sequence escaped me somewhat as well as some other parts of the plot that revolves around the actual tam lin but everything else about growing up, about friends, about being left all alone—and disappointed so thoroughly by your parents! my goodness! everything abt adolescence felt so real, so true, and so autumnal too somehow… even minor characters like ivy, joanna, and david felt sketched out so vividly. i also wanted to see a bit more of mr. o’keefe…intruiging side character he was… thats diana wynne jones’ gift i think, making even side characters so extremely lifelike and vivid…
part 3 chapter 2 was so devastatingly sweet, so tender, genuinely! i loved every minute w this book…i wish that dwj could have written more books like this (even though her other books are wonderful too!!), everything about this was like all the best parts of a shoujo manga and well the bad parts too like the insane age gap relationship LOL ohhh this will sit in a special place in my heart nevertheless (
but ughghgh it was so wonderful! the vibes were so perfect!! this was such a good little autumn read… i loved all of the characters sooo much and so deeply and tbh the ending sequence escaped me somewhat as well as some other parts of the plot that revolves around the actual tam lin but everything else about growing up, about friends, about being left all alone—and disappointed so thoroughly by your parents! my goodness! everything abt adolescence felt so real, so true, and so autumnal too somehow… even minor characters like ivy, joanna, and david felt sketched out so vividly. i also wanted to see a bit more of mr. o’keefe…intruiging side character he was… thats diana wynne jones’ gift i think, making even side characters so extremely lifelike and vivid…
part 3 chapter 2 was so devastatingly sweet, so tender, genuinely! i loved every minute w this book…i wish that dwj could have written more books like this (even though her other books are wonderful too!!), everything about this was like all the best parts of a shoujo manga and well the bad parts too like the insane age gap relationship LOL ohhh this will sit in a special place in my heart nevertheless (
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Emotional abuse
kaistephan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
I read this as a child, didn't really get it, came back to it in my thirties and it looks completely different. There are so many different threads of narrative and motif and everything is connected to everything else in such intricate ways that it barely makes sense because everything makes too much sense and you're trying to comprehend it all. An absolutely genius piece of literature.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Cancer
khazlettwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
jfield351's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I first read this a year ago and fell in love with it, i would have given it 5 stars last year. I was also completely at a loss to understand it but I knew it was good. I read it again, starting it yesterday the 29th and finishing today the 30th of Jan, as part of the Dymocks reading challenge for ‘a book that makes you nostalgic’. I was obsessed with this book for months after I read it and would draw hemlock everywhere. So yes it does make me nostalgic of the time where I was in love with this book. The review I originally wrote has been deleted which is a shame, I would have liked to compare it to now. Reading it a second time I probably enjoyed it less (perhaps due to knowing the ending or due to my mental state right now) and i’m still confused about many aspects of it. Time shifts mid sentence sometimes. But it’s beautiful. Diana Wynne Jones is a master writer. The relationship is problematic, but I still love it. It’s one of the times where I can’t concretely give evidence for why I love the book, it’s just the general vibe. It’s such an interesting tale of nine years of a girl growing up, intertwined with the magic that is Mr Lynn, Thomas the Rhymer, Tam Lin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse and Cursing
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