lech4617's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Ableism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Animal death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Child death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, War, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Addiction, and Gun violence
bethusery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: War, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Child abuse
jnlundy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, War, Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Violence, Drug abuse, and Child death
Minor: Abandonment, Cursing, and Alcohol
aevpoetry's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, War, Death, and Grief
jebowman123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, and Racial slurs
Moderate: War, Suicide, Racism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Classism
manola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and War
Moderate: Child death
nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book had all the components that I should absolutely adore in historical fiction (except that it wasn't set in France), yet somehow, I didn't enjoy this WWII novel about an educator! There were elements, of course, that I appreciated, and certainly Mary's devotion to her underserved students topped the list, but ultimately, I only intermittently connected to the characters and was bored more often than not by the lengthy descriptions and extended metaphors. Indeed, the excessive use of "one" as a pronoun frustrated me, and nearly every page contained a line or two that felt overly crafted for the purpose of being "beautiful writing."
I liked Alistair and almost every scene on Malta. Another reviewer mentioned that Alistair had the special effect of making any other character he interacted with seem likable, and it was so true! The scenes on the home front, between Mary and Tom, Mary and her mother, and Mary and her students, particularly Zachary, whose father is the announcer at the local minstrel show, were sometimes interesting, but it was the promise of another scene with Alistair that kept me turning pages.
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, and Hate crime
katypicken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Bullying, Medical content, Racism, and Violence
cnohero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual content
eicart_reads'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? No
4.0
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs
This is set in WWII, and there are many descriptions of soldiers at war and the violence that goes along with it. That is to be expected. However, one particular scene was quite graphic and disturbing, and I found myself fast forwarding through that part of the audiobook.