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augie_'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy
nostalgicloaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Though I've seen this book all over the place for years, I wasn't aware until recently that Catton based each of the 12 primary characters on different Zodiac signs and used their charts to fabricate the plot. A very cool concept if you ask me, and, reading this, it makes sense. It would honestly be difficult to come up with this complex a plot without any kind of heavenly guidance.
The first few chapters definitely had me hooked. The mysterious gathering, Walter Moody's unintended entrance upon it, the dark, rainy night outside the smoky, close atmosphere of the pub as the circumstances behind the meeting slowly reveal themselves.
That first part takes up probably half the book, but from there, everything else felt like a bit of a letdown, apart, perhaps from the courtroom scenes. Almost all of the core information was covered in that first half, so the rest felt rather superfluous. The last 100 pages especially, after the courtroom bit, just did not add much at all and were generally pretty frustrating. I thought the flashbacks to Dunedin were building up to something that would return us to the present and connect everything in one final, flourishing twist, but that just never happened.
The other thing that was annoying here was how male-focused this plot is. I get that this was the New Zealand frontier in the 19th century and that there weren't many women around to begin with. But the only three female characters are all effectively just sexual plot devices, for the men of Hokitika to project upon and take advantage of. For a book written by a woman, this was all the more disappointing.
I did really enjoy Catton's writing style. It is, again, very literary and flowery, but good, detail-packed writing just really gets me going, though I recognize that it can be a bit of turn-off for others.
Overall, an interesting concept and excellent writing, but the plot could have been reined in a bit more and the women caught up in it better treated. This has, however, really piqued my interest in Eleanor Catton's work, as I think she is someone with a fascinating imagination and a gorgeous writing style with which to share it.
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage
eefmaoam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was right up my alley, even though I wouldn’t have suspected it to be based on the genre/themes/descriptions. I love the way the story slowly unfolds, constantly switching perspectives, all the while being meta-critical of the genre itself AND the (developing) economic systems and its exploits (Yes, I wanted to be a pretentious teen while I wasn’t, but somehow still ended up becoming an adult who loves pretentious literature lol). The historical touches such as censoring some words, while using ‘whoring’ freely adds to the atmosphere and moody feel (haha, funny reference, so smart).
While reading I kept on whisking but also dreading Netflix would make this book into a limited-series; hoping because I wanted to see the world of Hokitika and all its residence and their stories come to life, dreading because I don’t think Netflix would or could do right by this beautiful story. Turns out the BBC did, so I’m off to watch that show!
I want to make more poignant points about the book and why you should read it, but I’m still a little bit too overwhelmed by the magnitude and beauty of this story. So, you should just read it yourselves if you want to know why I liked it so much ;)
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
heather_freshparchment's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Infidelity, Trafficking, Murder, and Pregnancy
soph_mills's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Miscarriage
shayminxcx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
chatdombre's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
wemilyebb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
emmonsannae's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail