katiemw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mariahhanley's review against another edition
3.0
I don’t know how to describe this book except for that it made me very uncomfortable from start to finish. Not uncomfortable in a way that I should sit with. Just purely uncomfortable.
elliedesatge's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
doomtoboggan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fantastic book, about the life of a woman serving life in a California prison, but largely focusing on her life in San Francisco, and the lives of others dealing with similar working class poverty. It was compelling and had a host of interesting voices, and was really rooted in a sense of San Francisco.
There was something unfocused about the different narrative threads and when the spotlight slipped from Romy it felt less urgent. The passages seemingly extracted from the diaries of the unabomber were particularly confusing and failed to coalesce for me.
I am particularly keen to read more of Kushner's work after this. I listened to this on audiobook which she narrates herself and really enjoyed it. She has a kind of monotonous, weary voice that felt apt for the character of Romy. I love when authors read their own books.
There was something unfocused about the different narrative threads and when the spotlight slipped from Romy it felt less urgent. The passages seemingly extracted from the diaries of the unabomber were particularly confusing and failed to coalesce for me.
I am particularly keen to read more of Kushner's work after this. I listened to this on audiobook which she narrates herself and really enjoyed it. She has a kind of monotonous, weary voice that felt apt for the character of Romy. I love when authors read their own books.
jules_vp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
alfait's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5