Reviews

Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

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shrimpybear's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

really beautifully written and engrossing but incredibly disturbing and upsetting. I'll be interested to seek out any analysis of the book or interviews from the author as to why certain choices were made about what happens to these characters.

however the aspect of how the Virgin Islands change over time in the context of transfer to the united states and also changes in infrastructure and how it relates to the way people live was very interesting and shined through.

just check the content warnings, it is certainly incredibly disturbing and uncomfortable throughout.

Content Warnings

jillmartinez's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

mcdevimm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

p3tt1tt's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

laila4343's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars. Magical realism abounds! About the loveliest writing you could ever find, but the story bogged down something fierce in the middle. I'm glad I pushed through, because the last third of the book was fantastic. I knew nothing about the US Virgin Islands, so this was an illuminating read.

bookmaven17's review

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

foofers1622's review against another edition

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4.0

A very different story that I just couldn't put down. It makes me want to visit the Virgin Islands A.S.A.P.

beepuke's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

A unique tale. Truly wonderful. I learned so much about everything.

ekb523's review against another edition

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2.0

I kept hoping that the plot was going somewhere and then felt totally unsatisfied when the book was over. There were some very strange elements woven throughout the book (i.e., incest) that never seemed to come through with a true purpose. I did learn some new things about the history of the US Virgin Islands but overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this one.

sassysoles82's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

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