Scan barcode
bootrat's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Death of parent
carlytenille's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
6 stars, no notes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
twocollins's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
This is a slow simmer and study of how grief and loss impacts a family unit and individuals.
There is a lot of sadness, reflection, but also love in this book.
There is a lot of sadness, reflection, but also love in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
tanja_reads_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Markus Zusak is an author that is an automatic buy for me and so the fact that This book took me a little bit longer to get into, kind of was disappointing, but in the end the slow pace and the dual timelines paid off. This was a sad, but hopeful story that had me in tears at the end.
The time jumps I each chapter were hard to get used to, as was the more choppy narration, but all that leads to the charm and almost truthful feel of the story.
I loved the dynamic of the brothers and how they all related to each other, and to the others around them. It truly was the heart of the story.
The time jumps I each chapter were hard to get used to, as was the more choppy narration, but all that leads to the charm and almost truthful feel of the story.
I loved the dynamic of the brothers and how they all related to each other, and to the others around them. It truly was the heart of the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
counciloffrogs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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? Yes
2.0
Sometimes I struggle with giving books 2 stars and qualifying what a 2 star book really is, but this is the epitome of one. Why should I care about the Dunbar boys? I don’t know but I kind of do? Only enough to not put the book down and DNF it, but certainly I think if I didn’t relate to how broken and yet relenting they are I would have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Antisemitism, Murder, and Alcohol
ehunsy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you are looking for a book like The Book Thief, you may not like this one as much. it's beautiful in a completely different , yet still poetical way. The timeline jumps around quite a bit, which may be confusing but creates the feeling that this is truly being told as the narrator reflects on different events throughout life
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
sophiebee23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
This is not an easy read. The first 50 or so pages were hard work and I really couldn't tell if there would be any reward for the effort. I was frustrated not knowing what was going on, I couldn't even work out where it was set and the style was more than a little jarring. Something began to take shape however and there was enough there to keep me reading, and I settled into the writing style more and more. It still took getting a good third of the way in before it really had me hooked.
I'm glad I persevered. It's good to be challenged by a book, to not have everything laid out and linear from the get-go. Reading this is like watching someone else do a jigsaw when you haven't seen the picture they're aiming at, and they put chunks of it together seemingly at random and you can't work out how anything can come out of the mess, but you eventually see something beautiful start to appear and you trust them to see it through.
You have to trust the process of this book. Zusak knows what he's doing. Occasionally I found the writing style just a bit much and some metaphors just didn't land well for me, but for the most part it really is beautifully written. It's worth taking time over it to soak in the atmosphere and really enjoy the writing.
The story itself left me in tears at multiple points - I'm a big book-crier so take that with a pinch of salt - and while I didn't necessarily like all the characters (I'm still not sure what I feel about Matthew) I felt I knew them and understood them, and I adored Clay in particular.
I really enjoyed it and I think it's a book I'll come back to in years to come. If you want an easy beach read, look elsewhere. If you're happy to get stuck in and persevere through that challenging beginning, you'll be rewarded.
I'm glad I persevered. It's good to be challenged by a book, to not have everything laid out and linear from the get-go. Reading this is like watching someone else do a jigsaw when you haven't seen the picture they're aiming at, and they put chunks of it together seemingly at random and you can't work out how anything can come out of the mess, but you eventually see something beautiful start to appear and you trust them to see it through.
You have to trust the process of this book. Zusak knows what he's doing. Occasionally I found the writing style just a bit much and some metaphors just didn't land well for me, but for the most part it really is beautifully written. It's worth taking time over it to soak in the atmosphere and really enjoy the writing.
The story itself left me in tears at multiple points - I'm a big book-crier so take that with a pinch of salt - and while I didn't necessarily like all the characters (I'm still not sure what I feel about Matthew) I felt I knew them and understood them, and I adored Clay in particular.
I really enjoyed it and I think it's a book I'll come back to in years to come. If you want an easy beach read, look elsewhere. If you're happy to get stuck in and persevere through that challenging beginning, you'll be rewarded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer
filipacmiranda's review against another edition
5.0
Para quem, como eu, conheceu Zusak através de A Rapariga Que Roubava Livros, esta história pode requerer algum esforço inicial. Admito que houve momentos em que senti necessidade de pousar o livro. É uma história complexa, cujos acontecimentos vão sendo relatados de forma desordenada. Embora tenha sido uma jornada, foi uma jornada que valeu a pena!
As primeiras páginas de Nada Menos Que Um Milagre largam-nos no seio de uma família constituída por cinco rapazes com menos de 20 anos. Trata-se de um início caótico e confuso, que, a meu ver, será uma representação fiel do que é vivenciar a morte de um dos progenitores, após doença prolongada. Especialmente, enquanto o/a outro/a se vai demitindo da nossa vida e desaparecendo aos poucos.
Escrito sob o ponto de vista de Matthew Dunbar, o mais velho dos cinco irmãos, com recurso a uma linguagem que veicula as emoções de forma clara, mas eloquente, este livro é uma manta de retalhos que, entre o passado e o presente, nos vai dando a conhecer a vida de Clay e dos seus irmãos.
Durante a leitura, houve confusão, houve risos e houve algumas lágrimas... Trata-se de uma história sobre as dores do crescimento. Sobre amor fraterno e amor platónico. Sobre a morte. Mas, acima de tudo, trata-se de uma história sobre a vida e como continuar a viver, quando nada parece abonar a nosso favor.
As primeiras páginas de Nada Menos Que Um Milagre largam-nos no seio de uma família constituída por cinco rapazes com menos de 20 anos. Trata-se de um início caótico e confuso, que, a meu ver, será uma representação fiel do que é vivenciar a morte de um dos progenitores, após doença prolongada. Especialmente, enquanto o/a outro/a se vai demitindo da nossa vida e desaparecendo aos poucos.
Escrito sob o ponto de vista de Matthew Dunbar, o mais velho dos cinco irmãos, com recurso a uma linguagem que veicula as emoções de forma clara, mas eloquente, este livro é uma manta de retalhos que, entre o passado e o presente, nos vai dando a conhecer a vida de Clay e dos seus irmãos.
Durante a leitura, houve confusão, houve risos e houve algumas lágrimas... Trata-se de uma história sobre as dores do crescimento. Sobre amor fraterno e amor platónico. Sobre a morte. Mas, acima de tudo, trata-se de uma história sobre a vida e como continuar a viver, quando nada parece abonar a nosso favor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Death
iiisabelle's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying and Death
sporemiette's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The boomerang storytelling got a little infuriating at times but overall it slaps
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail