doppy's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, and Suicide
abbruzzese'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
5.0
this book is like the temptation of the burning flame—impossible to turn away from; painful to the touch.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, and Death
Minor: Child abuse
catrickbateman's review against another edition
5.0
It’s hard not to fall in love with the only blanket in winter. And love, Grand did.
IM SO DEVASTATED THAT I FINISHED THIS WAAHHH 😖 tiffany mcdaniel is the IT girl for me now.. both of her books are so magically written, so familiar and so truthfully poignant i feel like i’m leaving family when i finish her stories.
they are STORIES, there’s a whole world inside this book, hundreds of people and places and feelings that were so REAL and fleshed out. i honestly had no idea where this book was going but i loved every page and chapter more than the last. not sure i’ve ever felt such love and fondness for a fictional story character before Grand & im sure i’ll think about his character long after finishing this book.
just such beautiful, rich, quality writing with twists and turns, characters with souls, reflection, red herrings and dead ends. i already want to read again IM SERIOUS
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Blood
scenic92'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
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Animal death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Racism, and Violence
divafern's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Outing, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Alcoholism, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Abandonment, Child death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Police brutality
penelopeja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Murder
rcampbell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
This has the same dark, other-worldly, southern gothic feel to it. The story follows one boy, his family and the rural town he grows up in over one summer. Lots of moral lessons regarding religion, the "devil" amongst us and what evil is, were heavy going and not the most subtle but thoroughly enjoyed the story telling and use of language.
The setting is perfect and clearly one that McDaniels knows well. The heat and stiffling sense of the town was tangible, building as the tension in the story grew.
One reservation I have is in McDaniel's characterisation of the town's apparently only person with a disability as angry and bitter and being the 'evil villain' figure in the plot. This particular trope felt outdated and the book was written in 2016. Think this is a bit lazy and has the potential to perpetuate long-standing harmful trope of connecting disfigurement/disability with villainy. Or maybe this was the point....?!
I will look out for her future publications as I enjoy her use of setting, language and story telling and raced through this book in a couple of days.
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicide, Murder, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
happyreadings'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
Fielding, Autopsy's son, becomes close with Sal and learns where Sal came from and the trauma he went through with his abusive family. However, word spreads of Sal being the devil and a cult forms. Things escalate at the end of the summer when the cult takes it too far and the heat becomes too much.
This book was a lot but if you've read Betty, by Tiffany McDaniels, then you'll understand this is her kind of story telling. This story had a lot of lessons mostly being not to judge something just because we're told that it is bad.
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, and Suicide
lorylor's review against another edition
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
My two main issues were:
1) the setting of 1984 to utilise HIV/Aids as a shocking plot point
2) the fact we are told to give empathy to the white supremacists that brutally murder a black child. Again this was utilised as a plot point to shock the reader.
This book is written by a white woman. It came out 5 years ago, but if it was released now, it would be getting major backlash. It didn't sit right with me, and I recommend you don't read it.
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Loss of a child