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tashy49'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
clarezillaa's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Islamophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
french_cat's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Parts of the story are set in different times and different places, and told from the perspective of different characters... all brought together in a big rush at the end of the ride.
At times thoughtful, sometimes scary, and overall enjoyable.
I loved the characters, even the ones who weren't likeable. The development of the storyline was believable, and very much of its time; very easy to imagine these events happening in Australia, especially given the rise in nationalism around the world in the last decade or more. And very clever, the way the author linked these events with the civil war in Sri Lanka (I had not realised the horrendous extent of it) and Australia's colonial past.
This was a novel that gave the reader plenty to think about, while also managing to have a story and characters who were engaging and entertaining.
Moderate: Torture and War
taro4lyfer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The characters are well thought out with their own motivations, desires, and beliefs while both settings (Sri Lanka and Cinnamon Gardens) are captivatingly written.
Chai Time also won the Miles Franklin award in 2023, which is well deserved.
The only reason it isn’t 5 stars is because it is definitely the kind of book that requires content and trigger warnings, which it didn't include. Hopefully future editions will include content warnings in the book or a mention online - the online content warnings so far are user written on storygraph or AI generated based off of reviews.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Torture
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
All of the trigger warning concepts are explored through the character arcs and repeatedly brought up during the story to expand on how they affect the characters emotionally.confused_cat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
- The author writes beautifully and I can feel her love to Sri Lanka and to the Sri Lankan people.
- I learnt more about Sri Lankan civil war and the hardship of being an immigrant.
- I had a good discussion with a diverse mix of people about racism (in Australia) thanks to this book. Learned that accidental racism is still racism.
Small criticsm:
- Characters don't seem real and are just mouthpieces for the author to tell the story. E.g. These characters are so well adjusted and successful despite of their horrific background.
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, and War
sop17hie'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: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
whatisbethreading'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? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
drellejay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Torture, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual assault
terri'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture
terranovanz'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: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail