Reviews with content warning for War - The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

Reviews tagging 'War'

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

238 reviews

zach_connolly's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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peasandpancakes's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved the premise of this book and the general story line. It was a bit slow at times, but it picked up again in the last 150 or so pages.

My biggest problem was the tense. The second person tense was hard to get into, and I kept forgetting it had this tense, so I was confused by the wording every time I picked this book back up after a few days.

Also not sure I got all the intricacies with the different sides and beliefs, as I had almost no knowledge on Sri Lanka before reading this book and had to google something every few pages.

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allisonhess974's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.25

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bookish_wanderer's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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jenna0818's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Seven Moons was a good read, I enjoyed the magical realism of exploring the transient world in between life and death. I like Maalis life and narrative and found his struggles really relatable and compelling. I think the book landed the plane and had a satisfying ending as well, I was happy with the character development and I think I found peace too. I’m not familiar with Sri Lanka at all but it was interesting to learn about it, not sure I grasped the politics fully but it wasn’t necessary to grasp the narrative arc. I think people who consider themselves spiritual regardless of religion will find things to reflect on in this story. This book took me a lot longer to read than other books just because it was at many times a depressing and tense read, hard to keep track of the factions, but that’s likely user error, I’m sure there was enough satire and humor to keep someone else more entertained.

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fmfp's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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lindsaylhunter's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a wild ride! You definitely need a certain amount of diligence if you're someone who dives into this book with little to no knowledge of the Sri Lankan civil war, but the pay off is so worth it if you do.

I would recommend hammering this one out pretty quick, or at least with a good amount of consistency. The cast of characters at the back of the book does help in keeping your feet grounded in the story and reminding you who's who, but taking your foot of the gas for a story like this will only leave you left behind in the dust.

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marusya_8's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

What a stellar book, one of the best of the decade. Such a fleshed-out world and story, and such a great complicated character that you can’t help but shake your head at and also root for.
Gripping political background and fascinating take on humanity

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sakisreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

My friend lent me her copy and I was so puzzled by the concept initially 😳 I knew nothing about Sri Lanka and it’s political landscape so this was a perfect insight into it!

The language was easy throughout, although the content was not. It was thrilling to follow Maali along his ‘death’ 🙊

Okay Stanley also really POPPED OFF 😫 I lowkey felt like I knew it was coming, but it didn’t lessen the shock in any way 🥲

I think I’d like to understand Sri Lankan politics slightly better too! 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨

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bugle's review against another edition

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dark tense

Strong character development? Yes

4.5

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