Reviews

The plot, the characters, the language, all fantastic. This book has a certain thickness to it. It's not something that you read in a day or two, not because the language is too difficult, but because you need to sleep on this to digest it. You can't rush through these people's lives; you have to give them the dignity of your time.

jboughton23's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

sereia8's review against another edition

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4.0

Though this is a powerful and beautifully written book with compelling and thought-provoking themes, I can't recommend it because of some of the content. Thanks to Tammra for her great insights at Bookenders which helped me to appreciate it even more.

lizzo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

skimsdmb's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved Part I, and McEwan can more fully develop characters in a sentence than most writers can do in a entire book. But the ending fell flat for me.

jomma'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? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

an incredibly tragic love story

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