ae_olus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dr_aish's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
madams12's review against another edition
2.0
an all girls school for the ‘elite’ was a really interesting vehicle for demonstrating Rwandas racial tensions and violence at the time. the author does a sensational job of conveying the mounting tensions between the teenage girls and the people around them. yet, the writing didn’t fully engage me and I kinda struggled to connect to the characters & it faltered in consistently holding my interest.
andream0885's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
catouch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
cgriffiths4's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sigridone's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
danilanglie's review against another edition
3.0
I think my experience of reading this book was colored by a) my admittedly sparse understanding of the history involved, and b) the translation into English which just... read like a translation in a major way. There were a lot of clunky moments where I felt like the meaning was lost. Particularly in regards to the emotions and inner lives of the characters.
That said, I liked the episodic nature of this book, and the way the stories of all the girls built up to a crescendo, and taught me different aspects of Rwanda's culture and history at this specific time. Knowing, even vaguely, what everything was leading to, made it really chilling to read the escalating instances of Nationalism and zealotry as expressed by the character of Gloriosa.
That said, I liked the episodic nature of this book, and the way the stories of all the girls built up to a crescendo, and taught me different aspects of Rwanda's culture and history at this specific time. Knowing, even vaguely, what everything was leading to, made it really chilling to read the escalating instances of Nationalism and zealotry as expressed by the character of Gloriosa.