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ellen_nicholson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.75
Gorgeous prose! A deep reflection on the human experience including our stories, free will and our interconnectedness. Definetly a bitter-sweet and emotional read. The only reasons that it didn't get 5 stars, was that the combination of a split perspective and a split timeline between chapters, became a little confusing in some parts. The ending also felt anticlimactic. Overall a new favourite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault and Torture
Minor: Animal death
aaryan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
ruthbeadle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think the prose in this is just top tier. It is so beautiful and flows almost lyrically. Another thing I really loved about this read is the theme of science. Both of the main characters approach science from different ways, and I loved the wonder and learning that it invoked in the writing. The characters were all well done, and I really loved everyone in Marie-Laure's storyline especially. There was just something missing to make this a five star read for me. I almost feel as if I have read a lot of very similar books. That is nothing against the novel, but I just found it dragging towards the middle a little bit. I think maybe several of the chapters could have been cut or tightened to make it flow. It was surprising to me how slow paced this was because the chapters were so short that normally I feel as if I am flying through a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
februaryfriday's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"so how, children, does the brain, which lives without a spark of light, build for us a world so full of light?"
this book wrecked me. if you´re planning on reading it, prepare to be crushed.
reading it is definitely an experience. it follows two very lovable, smart and kind, but also realistic and flawed main characters, werner and marie-laure, from childhood to adulthood. we get to see little vignettes of every stage of their lives and see the plot develop over a very long period of time, which makes it really slow-paced. overall, there isn´t a lot of plot, but i still enjoyed reading those scenes because of how much i loved the characters. i really appreciated how fleshed out even the side characters were and how real they felt.
moreover, i thought that the descriptions from marie-laure´s pov were super interesting since she´s blind and we learn how she perceives the world through other senses. she also has a strong bond to her family members and caretakers which was very nice to see.
furtherore, the writing was absolutely stunning! the imagery was breathtaking and the scenes all felt extremely well crafted. it was beautiful without being overly discriptive or elaborate, it was just right and i really appreciate it!
however, i was a little sad that we don´t get a lot of interaction between the main characters. the synopsis already tells us that the storylines of the main characters will intersect at some point, but it doesn´t happen until about 85% into the book. i was really anticipating it the whole time and when it did happen, it was really beautiful and i loved it, but i wished there would have been more of it. i think that a little more romance would have enriched the story even more, but i also understand that it fits the story and makes it realistic. just don´t expect the focus to be on the romance.
nevertheless, i was absolutely heartbroken by the end of the book and cried my eyes out. it was really impactful and i can´t stop thinking about it. i feel like this is something that will definitely stick with me.
this book wrecked me. if you´re planning on reading it, prepare to be crushed.
reading it is definitely an experience. it follows two very lovable, smart and kind, but also realistic and flawed main characters, werner and marie-laure, from childhood to adulthood. we get to see little vignettes of every stage of their lives and see the plot develop over a very long period of time, which makes it really slow-paced. overall, there isn´t a lot of plot, but i still enjoyed reading those scenes because of how much i loved the characters. i really appreciated how fleshed out even the side characters were and how real they felt.
moreover, i thought that the descriptions from marie-laure´s pov were super interesting since she´s blind and we learn how she perceives the world through other senses. she also has a strong bond to her family members and caretakers which was very nice to see.
furtherore, the writing was absolutely stunning! the imagery was breathtaking and the scenes all felt extremely well crafted. it was beautiful without being overly discriptive or elaborate, it was just right and i really appreciate it!
however, i was a little sad that we don´t get a lot of interaction between the main characters. the synopsis already tells us that the storylines of the main characters will intersect at some point, but it doesn´t happen until about 85% into the book. i was really anticipating it the whole time and when it did happen, it was really beautiful and i loved it, but i wished there would have been more of it. i think that a little more romance would have enriched the story even more, but i also understand that it fits the story and makes it realistic. just don´t expect the focus to be on the romance.
nevertheless, i was absolutely heartbroken by the end of the book and cried my eyes out. it was really impactful and i can´t stop thinking about it. i feel like this is something that will definitely stick with me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Minor: Violence