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katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Colonisation, and War
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
rudy23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Drug use, Car accident, and Death of parent
erinwea's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Colorado history and geography. A little too much trauma for 5 stars, but overall redemptive.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
maryfranvs'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Car accident, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Infertility and Sexual content
sophiafpeach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
saramariebt'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War
nimeneth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was solidly good, definitely a moving exploration of grief and forgiveness and moving on. I'm not really happy with the overall portrayal of men - all of them were either basically all good or all bad when they were more than just a name on a page like most of the Iola townsfolk were, and black and white viewpoints don't always make for great reading. I did like Victoria's work on the peach farm, when it was mentioned upon, and the fact that a menagerie of animals kept popping up in the background made it feel a little real. But honestly, nothing much happens, and especially in the first quarter or so, Victoria reads like an observer in her own life. I'm glad she found a little more agency. I do wish part 3 hadn't skipped over a full decade, and that the ending had actually added a little more, but I'm not disappointed with having taken the time with this one.
Also, why did we learn so much about the men in Victoria's life (Cal, Og, Seth, her dad) when she basically stopped talking about all of them once they physically left the scene? They all get like one line of ending, and that's not even enough to tie up the loose ends that are still flapping around.
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Miscarriage, Car accident, and Sexual harassment
sarahweyand'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
4.0
This was a book about many things: family, love, loss, motherhood, perseverance, survival. It made me think about a lot of big questions without posing them directly or giving me an answer. The prose was wonderful to listen to (I enjoyed the audiobook), and the atmosphere felt like a dappled summer day, which is a nice change given that it's snowing outside.
Pacing here was medium-slow, especially because it was hard to tell where the plot was going at times. But I was always interested in listening and I felt like I really cared about our protagonist. I also really, really liked where this book ended. Perfect choice.
I'd definitely pick up something else by Shelley Read and will look out for future releases of hers! Give this one a read if you like historical fiction and heavy slice-of-life, introspective novels.
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
mdavis26's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail