Scan barcode
gabie_east's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
This book follows a myriad of black british characters, as they all converge at one event in london. spanning decades and exploring race, blackness, queerness and family dynamics this book covers a lot of ground. the writing style is adventurous and keeps the pace between the stories which i found did tend to become a little confusing - a lot of different characters, all somehow connected to eachother was a bit much for my brain to handle!
it did include contemporary references which i am not much a fan of, but makes sense for the contecxt of the book, as it followed characters from the 50s onwards to 2019.
the ending i wasnt much a fan of - everything felt very nicely wrapped up, and it felt a bit too tidy for me, but i also did appreciate the effort to make all these seemingly random characters intersect.
i think i would have preferred this book if it was presented as a short story collection, rather than the book it is. perhaps i found it a bit too long
overall, i enjoyed reading about such different characters and their lives and families.
it did include contemporary references which i am not much a fan of, but makes sense for the contecxt of the book, as it followed characters from the 50s onwards to 2019.
the ending i wasnt much a fan of - everything felt very nicely wrapped up, and it felt a bit too tidy for me, but i also did appreciate the effort to make all these seemingly random characters intersect.
i think i would have preferred this book if it was presented as a short story collection, rather than the book it is. perhaps i found it a bit too long
overall, i enjoyed reading about such different characters and their lives and families.
hannahclare44's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
5.0
georgiats's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
hurlyburlywitch's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Brilliant exploration of Black British experiences of marginalised genders, with many individual narrative masterfully woven together into a single branching, circling story. Definitely a ride.
jenny177's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
madelena_n's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ahayes15's review
5.0
Maybe my favorite book ever. I love every single character and every chapter. I want more about all of them. I read it for the first time four years ago and loved it, but it struck an even bigger chord with me this time around. Every line is poetic and I just kept saying to myself how well this is written and how did Evaristo do this??