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jinglelocks's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Violence
kmhst25's review against another edition
1.5
- There is one main female character, and she is naked for more than half of all of her appearances.
- There is one secondary female character, and she is naked for all of her appearances.
- In fact, most of the background women in the book are also naked. Female nudity is basically a theme. Theoretically, a lot of it can be explained by the association of witches with nudity, but there are so many non-witch naked women floating around that that explanation proves flimsy.
- The "Master" is a man who writes one novel that his (barely fleshed out) lover reveres so much that she only calls him Master from then on, and he adopts the name as his own. (He still calls her by her name though, and her defining characteristics are that she's beautiful and that she's devoted to him.) If anyone asks him who he is, he only says, "I'm the Master." The Master conveniently shares several traits and life experiences with the author of this book.
Later in the novel, it becomes clear that some of the chapters that we have been reading are actually excerpts from the Master's brillaint masterpiece. So not only is he similar to the book's author, but the book's author decides that he is also qualified to write the Master's genius work.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
_quinnsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, and Mental illness
aristarcodisamo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Racial slurs, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
tsunami935's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
paradicsomleves's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Blood
myaharris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Death and Gore
elessahr's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
tamara_joy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
sunn_bleach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I finished this half a year ago and am still thinking about it. This could be a 5-star book in time. Impossible not to recommend to anyone even remotely interested in fantasy/magical realism, religious fiction, and Russian/USSR fiction.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Animal cruelty and Child death