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amberacks12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
But that ended up being a really good idea, because I loved this book. It’s slow, reflective, and painful. But so so beautiful. It’s not my usual genre, but that doesn’t matter in this case because Claudia Piñero is writing for me.
Piñero’s writing is gorgeous (along with the beautiful translation by Frances Riddle) and though this is a mostly character driven novel, it’s gripping. There’s mystery and suspense, but in a quiet, slow burn kind of way.
Now I just need my library to fill my request and purchase Elena Knows.
Enjoyment: 5
Emotional impact: 5
Educational value: 4
= 4.7
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
seventhswan'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
4.0
I picked this up because I'd previously read Elena Knows and wanted to try something else by this author, so it was only when I'd finished and returned it to the library that I realised it was in the crime and mystery section. I would have been disappointed if I'd been expecting crime fiction, as no crime takes place in this book and any mystery is much more about the characters' feelings and motivations than solving puzzles or looking for clues - I'm not sure where that categorisation came from. I really enjoyed this book, though, as the thought-provoking literary fic it was!
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
biobeetle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Medical content
xbarr2's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Abandonment
Minor: Miscarriage and Gaslighting
molly_readss's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
busra425's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Abandonment
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book explores what happens when you make a decision, a slight error of judgement, one that you and plenty of others have made previously to no ill effect, except this time it has tragic consequences. Would you, could you carry on after the worst day of your life? And what might you have to sacrifice along the way? Could you forgive yourself for your choices and could others forgive you?
I love the issues this book explores and I really love the suspenseful way the first half unfolds. Interspersed with Mary’s present timeline are small snippets that hint at her past. At first this is just a short basic paragraph, but each time a few sentences are added to the previous version, slowly revealing more and more details as to exactly what happened that terrible day. This really builds a suspense and made for a propulsive reading experience as I frantically turned the pages in search of further details.
This is in many ways a book of two parts. Although each has a different feel I enjoyed them both equally and was never less than 100 % engaged. The storytelling was simply fabulous. And the ending was perfection - hopeful but restrained, just what I needed.
This is a book that had me asking all the “what ifs” and “what would I dos”. It left me thankful for the kindness of strangers and much more aware of all the small moments and small decisions that have the potential to alter the trajectory of our lives. Highly recommend.
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Abandonment
nataliamb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer and Suicidal thoughts
linguaphile412's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
bookishcori's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Mental illness