Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel

2 reviews

maddie_can_read's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

I really love Mandel's writing style. Her writing/ storytelling style is very unique and is definitely not for everyone. 

I've been reading her books out of publishing order and did not realize this was her second published book. It's interesting to see themes come up that she goes on to explore more in later works
like ghosts, hotels, shipping industry, music
. Also the interwoven storytelling is much simpler in this book and I found it a much easier and more straightforward read. 

One of the reasons I always enjoy the author's writing is how  she centers Canada and Canadian characters and locations in her writing. 
the one thing I kept thinking about was having a character from the far North of Canada but then like not committing to making them indigenous? I know there's lots of debate about writing characters of different backgrounds and the ethics of it but it seemed strange . Maybe the author wasn't sure about handling themes of indigeneity but I felt di appointed when I realized the character wasn't indigenous. Also while in real life a lot of social workers and nurses go up north to work they generally don't stay and raise their children there if they're not from there
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hmatt's review

Go to review page

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

3.75

What I find with this author's earlier works is that, even when I don't absolutely adore the plot, the writing is still very solid and satisfying. As it turns out, I liked the plot of this more than some of her other early works. There is a signature moodiness that comes out in the writing. 

I also thought it was very interesting to see themes developing in this book that the author later explores more (i.e. the shipping industry and the glass hotel!!).
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...