Reviews

Division Bells by Iona Datt Sharma

endemictoearth's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

katieanne4's review

I loved this. The characters were -- how do I describe this. It's a novella and you didn't get a ton about either of them, but you certainly did get enough glimpses to feel like there would be a real person there if you kept reading. Like a quick sketch that still captures something. Very atmospheric with the season changing and the political milleu. Best, cutest coming out scene I've ever read. "We could be so good" vibes. 

bluebirdsongs's review

emotional fast-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

3.5

fee_jay's review

4.0

Super - crackly, great political wonk details, skilfully non-partisan unless you hate clean energy, lovely leads. as a novella you can only do so much; i wanted more character work and backstory than i got, but it was a trade off with the Westminster detail.

bar_sometimes_reads's review

4.0

"In the morning, the rain hammering on the window had the rhythm of a metronome. Ari heard it as strathspey reels and waltzes, arpeggios in the drips. Water music, he decided, pleased with the pun... He read and sipped the tea, listening to Jules's breathing and the raindrops on the window, each one a diminution of loss."

Lovely.

chirson's review

5.0

Lovely, obscure, fun. I wish some more background had been given for the characters, but Sharma's turn of phrase is just amazing.

agmaynard's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

4.0

Concentrated, intense, slow burn, and lovely. Workplace details help ratchet up the pressure and stakes. Lovely passages also, like: "He read and sipped the tea, listening to Jules's breathing and the raindrops on the window, each one a diminution of loss."

eicart_reads's review

emotional informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

jotropes's review

5.0

So enjoyed this - love when the writing, characters and relationship have something of an elusive quality. And shot through with intelligence and wit.

misssusan's review

4.0

for reasons unknown (possibly because sharma's other works seem to be on the genre side) i was under the impression that this was a fantasy au of some kind and was sort of waiting for some mention of how magic worked in this book for the first twenty pages or so. the impression lingered, i finished the book like huh. i guess this was...contemporary romance? set in our world? not in au magical britain? how bout that

anyways it certainly didn't damage the reading experience, i quite liked it! sharma puts together a lovely turn of phrase and i am not one to object to a lowkey romance. i think i would've benefitted from a primer on uk politics beforehand but i got the general gist of things as it progressed

4 stars