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meilanon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Cancer, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, and Police brutality
miishmiish'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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
lgcpreads'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
readertate'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, and War
Minor: Trafficking
karwc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
lanid'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
jkunke's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
jg34's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Still a good story and made me cry ugly tears
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Police brutality
Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Infidelity, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
emmaopaline'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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
dee_dreams's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Instead of whining about what I disliked, which is a lot, I wanted to be constructive and offer some lessons I took away instead.
When characters die or disappear, it should matter. The characters who knew the dead person should care on some level (even if it's shallow or self-serving.)
The more characters you kill off, the less empathy the reader will feel for random new characters that are introduced.
Misery is not the same as depth. Trauma is not the end of the story. Focus on the characters' humanity rather than their victimization.
Use writing for good. We already know that evils like misogyny, racism, ableism, and grooming exist. Don't simply portray them for trauma porn. Use your writing to challenge them and provide a different perspective. Nudge the reader towards empathy and a belief that change is possible. Nobody needs more despair.
Stop introducing random, dehumanized sex workers and then portraying graphic violence against them. It's been done to death.
If you've already described a character as "plain, unattractive, never lovely," you don't have to do it three more times. You especially don't have to make the sexist, male-gazey descriptions more disparaging as she ages.
Don't try to take on a huge amount of unrelated themes. Or, do - just decide to make it a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. And follow up on those themes.
Last but not least, think about whether or not a "family saga" spanning 4 generations really needs a chapter about a minor character, unrelated to any members of said family, discovering pansexual orgies in the forest during the Summer of Love. And if you decide, yes, it does, make it hot. Please.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Death of parent, and War