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lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a literary mystery set in a secluded village in the south of Poland. The protagonist is an older woman who is a hobby astrologer and likes animals more than humans. When people in the area turn up dead under mysterious circumstances, she has her own theory of what is going on, but no one is taking her seriously.
I actually wasn't expecting the mystery plot and was pleasantly surprised by the direction the story took. Loved the protagonist and her point of view, so interesting. Loved the quirky side characters and their friendship dynamics. Liked the themes of the book and the writing a lot. Also, the ending worked really well for me. The tone of the book is rather serious and reflective, but it has a subtle humor that I really liked.
The only thing I didn't enjoy were some of the monologues throughout the book. They were too abstract and too long for my taste.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
rozmaran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Murder
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
horizonous's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal death and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Vomit, and Death of parent
◦ Medical content = Dentistry◦ Mental illness = Depression
.. and some passages about insects
birtelesemann's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Chronic illness
Minor: Dementia
cecim17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Car accident, and Murder
nabila99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, and Alcohol
bookish_wanderer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, and Mental illness
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
this book's filled w/ innumerable observations and insight abt life & death, the human condition, and animal treatment, some thought-provoking, and others sardonically true and darkly humorous, although the extensive discussion abt astrology isnt rly my thing. the characters are imbued w/ life and color even amid the bleakness of the landscape, and the main character's developing relationships w/ her increasingly close circle are subtly poignant. weirdly, the twist at the end shouldnt have been surprising, yet it still jolted me w/ the abruptness of its revelation.
needless to say, one cant talk abt this book w/o mentioning tokarczuk's biting denunciations of human treatment of animals, the hypocrisy and numbing, desensitized acceptance of it all. they're bewilderingly powerful and persuasive, though in hindsight i wish some discussion went into past necessity of certain aspects of this animal-related issue.
a surprisingly rewarding - though occasionally droning and weirdly paced - novel that invites a second reading and makes me interested in checking out tokarczuk's other works.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Infidelity and Medical content
bridgetbo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, and Murder
chinama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death and Chronic illness