janelleaimi'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
4.5
Moderate: Suicide, Emotional abuse, Death, Abortion, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, War, and Rape
swaanderer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Abortion, Rape, Homophobia, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexism
vikkom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I thought this book was going to be about this random lady Marian Graves attempting a north-south circumnavigation, and the fictional actress Hadley being fascinated and throwing herself into the history of Marian in preparation for the role. The book is about that, but I'd say that it's only about 10% that.
The rest of the book is about Marian Graves, and the people she loved and loved her, from before birth, to death; it is about Hadley, the starlet, and her journey with the pressures of hollywood, acting, falling in lust, and being... drawn to Marian and also knowing and feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the Marian she is playing is almost entirely reconstructed.
This book paints the sweeping arc of Marian's life, and the lives of the people that were most important to her. It deals with feeling multiple, contradictory feelings at once; it deals with estrangement from people you love; it deals with loving people and yet hating them; it deals with queer love in the 40s and 50s; it deals with the what-could-have-beens while acknowledging that sequences of events have a certain inevitability and circularity; and overall, it deals with the messy and complex and less-than-idyllic ways that humans connect. Lives are lived, opportunities are lost. People die. We go on.
N.B. one thing I would say though, is that it took me over half of the book (no small feat, it's a solid 300 pages) to actually get *into* the story. I think mainly because I wasn't expecting a grand sweeping whole-of-life tale, but the book comes around in a nice circle, once I realised that was what it was.
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and War
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Hate crime
Minor: Abortion and Child death
chameleonhound'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Alcoholism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Abandonment, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, and War
nialiversuch'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Alcohol, Addiction, War, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Gun violence, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicide, and Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity
sib_reads'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
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Death of parent, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Abortion, Hate crime, Homophobia, Abandonment, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Incest, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Excrement, Infertility, Pedophilia, Racism, and Xenophobia
nicoleamanfu'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Pregnancy, Addiction, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, War, Dysphoria, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, Sexism, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Hate crime
questingnotcoasting'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Misogyny, Death, Rape, War, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Child death
kaitlanl'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
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Addiction, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Incest
Minor: Suicide attempt, Abortion, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Suicide
prettycloud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Child abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Terminal illness
Minor: Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Child death, Body shaming, and Fire/Fire injury
About the adult/minor relationship: