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A review by curatoriallyyours
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this story - I cried in parts and found all the main characters to be very likeable. The only element that bugged me was that the main character's disability was at times treated as a fetish in the sense that the non-disabled characters (primarily the adults, to be fair) saw him as an "inspiration" and an opportunity for others to learn to be kind. I feel like this diminished his humanity and dignity - as though his existence was limited to his capacity to help those around him be better people. This did not come through the whole time - the author did a good job of creating three-dimensional, flawed characters and multi-layered situations that were a reflection of real life. Over all, this was an enjoyable read.
Moderate: Animal death and Body shaming
Minor: Grief and Medical content