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hayley_cook2's review
This book is terrible. I really expected more from the writer of the book thief. The writing itself is really bad and the story also sucks. The narrator is super creepy and only describes women physically. He even creeps on a 15 year old girl and Mark Zusak paints it as a good thing. I literally cannot keep reading past the part where he lures the whole town to church.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, and Gun violence
sunflowersarepretty's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Death of parent
notreallyregan's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
This review is going to be a rollercoaster ride and will contain some spoilers. This is one of the lowest ratings I have ever given a novel in my life. I wasn't expecting this to be anything like The Book Thief. I went into it with an open-mind. In short, I hated this book.
I just did not care about anything that was supposed to be emotional. It didn’t work. This book was a flop in my eyes.
Live footage of me the whole time I was dragging myself through this book: 😐😐
Were all of the characters meant to be so unlikable? Everyone is greasy. The men are disgusting and oversexualize everything the women do. Ed claims to have strong feelings for Audrey but he views her as a sexual object more than anything else. His descriptions of his mother are disrespectful. He is 19, but sexualizes a literal 14 year old girl. It's repulsive. The women in this novel are treated like sexual objects. That being said, I think every character in the novel is flat and boring! Ed is awful. He's so uninteresting and has no complexity. No wonder his mom hates him. His friends are greasy. The banter is not funny. The dialogue is not funny at all. If some of the crude parts are meant to add something, it was lost on me. The fucking dog is the best character.
I had a hard time finishing this novel because it was not even a little engaging. The opening scene was awesome. There were sprinkles of intrigue throughout the novel, but it did not hold my attention. Trust me, I'm not hard to please. I'm just looking for a good time but this book was gross AND boring! I am finished with it and hardly understand the concept because it was done poorly. The entire thing felt cheap.
If I were Ed, you can bet your ass I would not have done 95% of the things he did. He stalked people. He was creepy. His moral compass was so questionable even though he developed a savior complex through his mission. He came to conclusions that no one else except the author who knows the fucking plot could have come to. The people on the receiving end of Ed's messengers were so calm with a strange man stalking them and loitering. No one would actually react that way. A girl like Sophie would have been terrified of him and likely avoided him. If someone came to my house for no reason and said, "I don't know why I'm here yet but I have a purpose," I would laugh in their face and tell them to get the hell out of my home. I would call the police if I caught someone watching me. Unless stalking is more socially acceptable in Australia . . . yeah, no. I'm still giving Bridge of Clay a chance with an open mind, but this is probably the worst and most forgettable book I have ever read. And I'm being nice.
I just did not care about anything that was supposed to be emotional. It didn’t work. This book was a flop in my eyes.
Live footage of me the whole time I was dragging myself through this book: 😐😐
Were all of the characters meant to be so unlikable? Everyone is greasy. The men are disgusting and oversexualize everything the women do. Ed claims to have strong feelings for Audrey but he views her as a sexual object more than anything else. His descriptions of his mother are disrespectful. He is 19, but sexualizes a literal 14 year old girl. It's repulsive. The women in this novel are treated like sexual objects. That being said, I think every character in the novel is flat and boring! Ed is awful. He's so uninteresting and has no complexity. No wonder his mom hates him. His friends are greasy. The banter is not funny. The dialogue is not funny at all. If some of the crude parts are meant to add something, it was lost on me. The fucking dog is the best character.
I had a hard time finishing this novel because it was not even a little engaging. The opening scene was awesome. There were sprinkles of intrigue throughout the novel, but it did not hold my attention. Trust me, I'm not hard to please. I'm just looking for a good time but this book was gross AND boring! I am finished with it and hardly understand the concept because it was done poorly. The entire thing felt cheap.
If I were Ed, you can bet your ass I would not have done 95% of the things he did. He stalked people. He was creepy. His moral compass was so questionable even though he developed a savior complex through his mission. He came to conclusions that no one else except the author who knows the fucking plot could have come to. The people on the receiving end of Ed's messengers were so calm with a strange man stalking them and loitering. No one would actually react that way. A girl like Sophie would have been terrified of him and likely avoided him. If someone came to my house for no reason and said, "I don't know why I'm here yet but I have a purpose," I would laugh in their face and tell them to get the hell out of my home. I would call the police if I caught someone watching me. Unless stalking is more socially acceptable in Australia . . . yeah, no. I'm still giving Bridge of Clay a chance with an open mind, but this is probably the worst and most forgettable book I have ever read. And I'm being nice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
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