Reviews

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud

ghorsford's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

There’s no way I can go from hating one character to sobbing a couple chapters later without giving this a glowing 5 stars. As an LGBT American born to two Trini parents, this book meant so much to me. Still won’t call my mom though

sarahmareacarr's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved the dialogue and the characters but something was off about the timing of this book.

alexciaspov's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? N/A

4.25

anuxr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? No

4.5

laurob50's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

sian_m's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed it. It was heartwarming and I felt real empathy for the characters. This is a nicely written.

tishywishy's review against another edition

5.0

Had this book sitting around for weeks, finally picked it up a couple days ago and I was gripped! What a ride. Betty, Mr. Chetan, and Solo were so dynamic. The visuals, the food (I got so homesick and hungry), the trini idioms and sayings made me feel like I was standing nearby in each scene. The final scenes well...the tears were real but this book was totally worth it.

melodys_library's review against another edition

3.0

CW: Domestic violence, alcohol abuse, homophobia, self-harm

Careful not to judge a book by its cover here: Love After Love is not a romance novel!

It is an exploration of the many forms of love: the platonic, the romantic, the familial, the non-familial. As each character copes with his/her personal shame, hopelessness and loneliness, they discover the beauty of self-love and the solace and comfort of loving one another.

The story is steeped in Trinidadian culture and written strictly in Trinidadian dialect. While I appreciated the prose, I have to admit that I stumbled a bit. There were also some vast time hops that I found jarring, where the characters quickly jumped from harmed to healing, with little to no explanation of the path they took to get there. Nevertheless, it was a unique reading experience, and the descriptions of those delectable dishes - and the roti, all the roti - left my mouth watering.

septimusmith's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

lissfitz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5