Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Day by Michael Cunningham

7 reviews

drymice's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

astoriareader's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

SYNOPSIS
  • Day covers the lives of one family: April 5, 2019 (morning), April 5, 2020 (afternoon), and April 5, 2021 (evening).
  • Isabel & her husband Dan live in Brooklyn with their two kids, Nathan & Violet, as well as Isabel’s brother, Robbie.
  • They also interact with Dan’s brother, his brother’s friend, and his brother’s son.

MY THOUGHTS
  • Literary fiction. 
  • Character-driven.
  • The writing is sooooo good. I somehow haven’t read a Michael Cunningham book before, but he is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I want to read more of his work.
  • Excellent storytelling & character development. All the characters felt very real, ordinary, and relatable.
  • I thoroughly enjoyed Cunningham’s writing style. He is a master of his craft. While reading, I caught myself smiling a few times at how well a thought or a feeling was written. I was rereading sentences because it was poetically captured.
  • Overall, this was a wonderful read. The only criticism I have is I wish Robbie remained with the family unit, as 2019 ended up being my favorite “day” because his connections added a lot of layers to the story.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️literary fiction. masterful & impressive writing, as well as character development.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Random House  and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out now.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

fkshg8465's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced
  • 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? It's complicated

3.0

Character study of a family of mostly barely tolerable people as a reflection of the average person. Perhaps I like it less than I want to because I want to think we are better than these characters and more likable too.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chigwellreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

b_fruits's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.75

Woof. I really didn’t expect this one to fuck me up so much. First book to make me cry in a long time. Writing a pandemic story without being cringe is tough and Day pulled it off. Didn’t expect to feel so strongly about the characters - both hating and loving them. Oof. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

I had trouble telling the characters apart because they seemed very similar to me and I couldn't identify with any of them. The pace was also quite slow and not a lot happend throughout the book except the COVID pandemic.
If you like slow-paced books revolving around people's everyday lives this book might be for you

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

popsicleplease's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings