schopflin's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is an absolutely lovely book - I enjoyed it so much! I have a slight issue with it in that the family portrayed at the centre are the quintessence of 60s and 70s middle class lefties who made up the tiny British cultural establishment in those years. The character of Jake is like a very benign Jonathan Miller. But that's a problem for me, and needn't be one for anyone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Racism
charliemjs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.5
It's very apparent that this book was written in the 80s. I would have given it a much higher rating had it not been for the amount of casual racism and sexism (the latter of which got worse as the book went on), which made it very difficult to enjoy the book.
Spoiler
I definitely liked the character of Jane the most, she had the most sense and I was glad Katherine had her as a guide. There were too parts of the book I found particularly distasteful. The first was Michele's treatment of Katherine - he was clearly abusive which was acknowledged but never properly dealt with and overall Katherine seemed to think of him fondly which was odd (unless I misunderstood this). The second was Jonathan's child with and marriage to a pupil of his. This was especially strange since Jonathan was meant to be some great guy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Child death, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
christinanwrth's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Racism
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