madisonboboltz's review against another edition
5.0
Just like MacDonald’s other book, The Way the Crow Flies, this blew me away. She is without a doubt one of my favorite authors and I️ love the way she writes family sagas that span generations. They are just so masterfully planned. And so haunting. But so beautiful. Her books aren’t for everybody. They are quite hefty and deal with some dark subject matters, but holy shit, to me they are absolutely phenomenal. Like are human beings really capable of crafting such incredible stories and characters, or is she an alien? Okay, this is just me gushing about how much I️ love these books. I’ll stop now. But seriously... Kathleen’s diary entries... I️ just can’t. Ok I’m done.
reytru1065's review
3.0
This story was all over the place. There were so many themes and emotions portrayed that at times I felt very overwhelmed. I did enjoy the characters!
emiliaclew's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-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
3.5
Une famille tragique à seule raison du père James, pour étant un monstre a l’égard de toutes ses filles sauf Lily. Il à effectué tout chagrin et malheur à sa famille, et Materia voyait bien: il vaut mieux qu’il soit mort. Elle aurait dû le tuer quand c’était encore possible.
Et aussi, le père de Materia. Si il ne l’abandonnais pas, peut-être serais-y-elle plus capable d’aimer et de protéger Kathleen et les autres.
Mais j’aimais toutes les sœurs à leur tour, même Kathleen, si hautaine, et Mercedes, si injuste et rigide dans sa version de la justice.
Et aussi, le père de Materia. Si il ne l’abandonnais pas, peut-être serais-y-elle plus capable d’aimer et de protéger Kathleen et les autres.
Mais j’aimais toutes les sœurs à leur tour, même Kathleen, si hautaine, et Mercedes, si injuste et rigide dans sa version de la justice.
kelseywaters's review against another edition
4.0
This is my second time reading this book—I think I originally read it as a senior in high school. At the time, I felt it was the best book I’d ever read. It was a much more disturbing read to be this time. The dark family secrets are hard for me but I love the character development, particularly of Mercedes and Francis. Ultimately, I love a good family saga and historical fiction.
nakarinna83's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Incest
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
athenany's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that stays with you. To be fair, the author takes a bit of a kitchen-sink approach, chucking at you every bad thing that can happen to a human. But depressing as it is, there are so many memorable parts, and I feel like for an omniscient author perspective you have exactly the right amount of insight into the character's thoughts and feelings without being hit over the head with it and leaving room for you to figure things out on your own.
msvenner's review against another edition
3.0
I liked a lot about this book but, I think, it was a bit over ambitious. There a lot of themes to keep track of and none of them seemed to be fleshed out enough. I liked the first half of the book much better than the second. It felt like the halfway mark was kind of where it went off the rails. The characters are interesting, however, and I like how MacDonald keeps revealing the unexpected around each corner.