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k84's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Incest, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
jan_coco_day'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual violence
e_199's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
kelly_e's review
- 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
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: September 20, 2016
T H R E E • W O R D S
Intriguing • Mystifying • Distinctive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
A village in 1850s Ireland is baffled by Anna O’Donnell’s fast. A little girl appears to be thriving after months without food, and the story of this 'wonder' has reached fever pitch.
Tourists flock in droves to the O'Donnell family's modest cabin, and an international journalist is sent to cover the sensational story. Enter Lib, an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, who is hired to keep watch for two weeks and determine whether or not Anna is a fraud.
As Anna deteriorates, Lib finds herself responsible not just for the care of a child, but for getting to the root of why the child may actually be the victim of murder in slow motion.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emma Donoghue writes such compelling and distinctive tales unlike anything else and in such a way that I am kept guessing from start to finish. This is precisely why she became one of my auto-buy authors. The Wonder has say unread on my shelf for several years, but with the release of a a full-length film in late 2022, I decided I needed to move it up my TBR before watching.
And what a unique book! Similar Donoghue's past books I've read, it took a good 50 pages to be fully engaged, yet as the story progresses it gets stronger and stronger until the dramatic grande finale. Despite the slow start, I found myself instantly curious to see how everything would unfold. My interest and suspicious continued to rise until everything comes together in the end. It's hard to say too much without giving away big parts of the story, but I just couldn't predict where it was going to go.
Donoghue has a very distinctive writing style, and her phenomenal writing was definitely on display throughout. The characters are well developed that I wanted to know more about each of them. Anna and Lib's relationship flourishes over their time together, even though it is so short. And the setting helped created an atmosphere of lies and secrets.
Bringing together science, religion, and superstation in a variety of ways, The Wonder was such a unique and thought-provoking story. While it started out slow, the ending was highly fitting and the narrative speaks to the power of two strangers coming together to transform each others lives.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue fans
• readers looking to diversify their historical fiction repertoire
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Good nurses follow rules," Lib growled, "but the best know when to break them."
"I must be cruel, only to be kind."
Graphic: Eating disorder, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Body horror, Misogyny, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
donnas_troia's review against another edition
Graphic: Eating disorder, Incest, and Medical trauma
lucyyybee's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
amyjmcd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Xenophobia, Vomit, and War
Fastingrenegadegrocerycart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Historically-speaking, this book has a lot to say about the relationship between the English and the Irish and the long-lasting effects of the Irish Potato Famine. It’s a fascinating read for that as much as the central plot.
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Incest, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
zoecjohnson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Child death, Death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
iridium's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Colonisation