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lizsg's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
zelda_reads's review against another edition
4.0
A slow starter that's sometimes hard to follow the timeline of, but by the end I felt a strong bond to the characters and like id shared a real magical and personal tale
katielaine_w's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scienceworks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
c2pizza's review against another edition
4.0
This book made it onto my reading list because it's about the only book from Cape Verde I have access to, which helps achieve my loose goal of reading a book from every country, so I didn't have much for expectations. In fact, the title builds intrigue for limitless drama and suffering, revelries that make me no better than the men of Serrano, which is bound to lead to disappointment unless the book is really, really good. Well, the book is really, really good. Not only does it deliver the juicy details of the town's inhabitants, but it weaves a handful of themes very creatively. Themes including the uncertainty and fragmentations of one's own thoughts, the pitfalls of male ego, and not at all charming simplicity of country folk (it's great to see the tropes of simple country folk being wise, kind, thoroughly good people get revealed as, oftentimes, hollow, and it's especially gratifying to see as someone who has lived in the country and knows that those tropes are nothing more than pandering to get simple people to hand over their money... but I digress).
All in all, this was better than a lot of books I've read that have tens of thousands more readers on this site (I'm the 14th person to list it as read, what a hipster accomplishment!)
All in all, this was better than a lot of books I've read that have tens of thousands more readers on this site (I'm the 14th person to list it as read, what a hipster accomplishment!)
paulap's review
slow-paced
- 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
2.75
I found this well written and I loved the character of Filipa. However, the book kept me at a distance at times, and I felt it took quite a while to get into the main plot.