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ohwowanotherone's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mborer23's review
4.0
A suspenseful read despite very little action. Like Westmacott's other novels, The Burden explores the complex and strained relationships that a family can have.
lilykennedy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lesserjoke's review
2.0
The sixth and final novel that author Agatha Christie published under her Mary Westmacott pseudonym is unfortunately also the weakest. It starts off alright, tracing the childhood of a girl whose mother and father both resent her for living when her older brother dies of polio, and how she initially hates her younger sister in turn before eventually saving her from a fire and then stepping up to raise her when the parents are killed in a plane crash. But all that death speeds by rather quickly, and just when it seems like the narrative is going to slow down and focus on the two surviving characters as adults, we switch to an entirely different protagonist who then spends most of the rest of the book philosophizing about religion until his story finally reconnects with that of the young women. It's overall a bit of a mess, with multiple proclamations of love and marriage proposals following after an acquaintanceship of mere weeks, and what feels intended to be a shocking reveal in the last few pages is built up so poorly that it barely even registers.
Generally I think that the psychological Westmacott titles are unfairly overlooked amid the writer's more famous mystery career, but this one, like the earlier Unfinished Portrait, absolutely deserves the modern obscurity.
[Content warning for racism, sexism, and alcohol abuse.]
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Generally I think that the psychological Westmacott titles are unfairly overlooked amid the writer's more famous mystery career, but this one, like the earlier Unfinished Portrait, absolutely deserves the modern obscurity.
[Content warning for racism, sexism, and alcohol abuse.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
sofipinho's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
luizakechyan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- 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
4.75
ljutavidra's review
4.0
Ova mi se više dopala od Absent in the Spring. Sumnjala sam da će to biti slučaj kad sam pročitala sinopsis ove knjige, ali prevarila sam se.
Ovde se upoznajemo sa Laurom. Ona nije ni po čemu posebna. Čak joj ni roditelji nisu nešto privrženi. Kada njen stariji brat Čarls premine, Laura se nadala da će sada ona konačno postati centar sveta svojih roditelja. Ali kada sazna da je njena majka ponovo trudna, Laura se predaje mračnim mislima...
Gospodin Baldok, od milošte Baldi, postao mi je brzo jedan od omiljenih likova. Kako da ne zavolite simpatičnog i džangrizavog starca koji najviše voli da provodi svoje vreme zatvoren u biblioteci. On je Laurin jedini prijatelj koji je savetuje i prenosi joj životne mudrosti.
Jedino što mi se nije dopalo su poslednja dva dela i Llewelyn (kako god da se ovo izgovara? Levin? Luin?). Nije mi se dopala količina religije koja je odjednom uletela s njim u ovo delo i on me uopšte nije zanimao. Ni on, ni njegove vizije. Na kraju mi je ispao čak i malo jeziv. Kraj je odlično poentiran, ali moglo je to isto da se učini sa nekim drugim likom, a ne sa njim.
Moja trenutna top lista Meri Vestmakot romana je sledeća:
1. The Burden
2. Absent in the Spring
Two down, four more to go!
Ovde se upoznajemo sa Laurom. Ona nije ni po čemu posebna. Čak joj ni roditelji nisu nešto privrženi. Kada njen stariji brat Čarls premine, Laura se nadala da će sada ona konačno postati centar sveta svojih roditelja. Ali kada sazna da je njena majka ponovo trudna, Laura se predaje mračnim mislima...
Gospodin Baldok, od milošte Baldi, postao mi je brzo jedan od omiljenih likova. Kako da ne zavolite simpatičnog i džangrizavog starca koji najviše voli da provodi svoje vreme zatvoren u biblioteci. On je Laurin jedini prijatelj koji je savetuje i prenosi joj životne mudrosti.
Jedino što mi se nije dopalo su poslednja dva dela i Llewelyn (kako god da se ovo izgovara? Levin? Luin?). Nije mi se dopala količina religije koja je odjednom uletela s njim u ovo delo i on me uopšte nije zanimao. Ni on, ni njegove vizije. Na kraju mi je ispao čak i malo jeziv. Kraj je odlično poentiran, ali moglo je to isto da se učini sa nekim drugim likom, a ne sa njim.
Moja trenutna top lista Meri Vestmakot romana je sledeća:
1. The Burden
2. Absent in the Spring
Two down, four more to go!
ink_book_'s review
4.0
It was exquisite, the way to uncover the human nature with all its deep, anxious feelings.Especially of love; the conflict of weather to be loved or to love.