Reviews tagging 'War'

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

82 reviews

dariannafv's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

the quote “History is a silent record of people who could not leave” from Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song kept ringing in my head throughout the majority of the novel. war brings destruction, but also community — the best and worse in us

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and War

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

rzh's review against another edition

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and War

onecraftybird's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, War, and Deportation

drjoannehill's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Audiobook. Trying to read more Women's Prize and Booker Prize shortlists. Very emotional telling of a few months of the siege of Sarajevo in 1992 from one woman's perspective. Zora stays in Sarajevo when other members of her family leave for the UK. The food runs low, the electricity goes off, the water goes off, the side of the apartment building is blown off. To run is to be a traitor. Not a sweeping view of the war but a very local, intimate view of the day to day changes experienced by one woman and her neighbours. The ending is in the same vein - not a long term "this is what happened in the end" but a development, a new reality to live through.

Lovely descriptions of art and artists' work, Slavic folk tales, and the practical getting by and camaraderie of people in the same impossible situation.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Child death

rachel101's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Hate crime, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

arayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

jennikreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

notthatcosta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Despite the plot being relentlessly grim for much of the book, I was really impressed by Priscilla Morris' capacity to introduce moments of levity and simple joy amidst the crushing reality of what was faced by the people of Sarajevo. 

I was also impressed to learn that much of the plot was inspired by real life stories from Morris' family members and research subjects, which makes sense considering how grounded and lived in the characters felt. 

Also certainly not an uplifting read, it's a book I thoroughly enjoyed. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

simoneg's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and War