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creolelitbelle'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? No
5.0
The strangest deja vu feeling crept over me while reading the book, making me feel like I'd read it before. I hadn't, and I can only explain that feeling by thinking back to an adult historical fiction book by Heather Morris that was set in a Soviet labor camp or gulag.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Deportation
Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
pastorscratchy1reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Blood, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
chelle22's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Slavery, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
jojo_'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Moderate: Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
_mya_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
nebraskanwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The book begins immediately with Lina and her brother and her mother getting taken to start working in a camp.
The story is told rather methodically, “I said this, she did this, this happened then that happened” which I did not think I would like. However, I enjoyed the simplicity and that there weren’t a lot of purple prose or anything, nothing to distract you from the direct words you were reading.
This is Ruta’s first published book and it definitley sounds/reads different than her others that I’ve read. But I still enjoyed it, as much as one can enjoy such a heart breaking book.
I am not a crier but I did cry at the end, it moved and touched me so very deeply.
As Ruta is Lithuanian, this felt like an homage to those who endured in silence for so long. I’m so glad light is being shed on the truth of what so many that suffered in silence went through for so many years...
Quotes:
“Have you ever wondered how much a person’s life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
maple_dove's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I . . . really don't know what else to say.
I did find one thing wrong with this, and that was the one brief appearance of arophobia.
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Alcohol
Starvation (graphic)serena_hien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Genocide, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment