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tracey1981's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Elizabeth Strout’s character-development is second to none. And Olive is the deeply human, authentic, older woman character I’ve been hoping for after reading too many books with cartoony older women. There’s a lot here about relationships of all kinds, aging, life, and death. I look forward to reading the sequel and the rest of Strout’s backlist - I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her so far.
Note: There were times where the author’s descriptions of some characters and/or the characters’ descriptions of one another were quite fatphobic and/or ableist. I do believe those characters would have said or thought those things, especially 16+ years ago when this book is set, but it still detracted enough from this otherwise excellent book to be worth mentioning.
Note: There were times where the author’s descriptions of some characters and/or the characters’ descriptions of one another were quite fatphobic and/or ableist. I do believe those characters would have said or thought those things, especially 16+ years ago when this book is set, but it still detracted enough from this otherwise excellent book to be worth mentioning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Fatphobia
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Islamophobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Chronic illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia