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peachani's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
For some reason, this reminded me of A Doll's House, but I don't know exactly why, as it's been ages since I read it.
I don't know what to think about Helga/Nella. What a complicated character (as most people are, I suppose). 1) I initially thought this was going to be the story of a biracial woman falling in love with Blackness. Unfortunately, that's not what happens. 2) The one consistent thing about Helga is that whatever she wants and gets, she will reject almost immediately. Given that the foreword says this is thinly veiled autobiography, I felt bad for Larsen.
I don't know what to think about Helga/Nella. What a complicated character (as most people are, I suppose). 1) I initially thought this was going to be the story of a biracial woman falling in love with Blackness. Unfortunately, that's not what happens. 2) The one consistent thing about Helga is that whatever she wants and gets, she will reject almost immediately. Given that the foreword says this is thinly veiled autobiography, I felt bad for Larsen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Classism and Racism
Minor: Abandonment
catherinedsharp's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
1.5
DISCLAIMER - I read this text as a set text for university meaning I did not pick this up for myself. It does not fit my usual reading selection so my review may be rather biased.
Despite being pretty short and relatively basic, I did not enjoy this text. I found it quite hard to get through and neither plot or characters gripped me. Within a handful of pages I found that I could understand the moral of the story and from there, the plot was quite repetitive. Put this together with a rather unhappy/unsatisfying ending (which is the point of the book but still), I found it a difficult book to engage with.
Even so, I did like the writing style; there was lots of description and the writing was accessible. I just didn't really get gripped by the book as much as I thought that I would.
Despite being pretty short and relatively basic, I did not enjoy this text. I found it quite hard to get through and neither plot or characters gripped me. Within a handful of pages I found that I could understand the moral of the story and from there, the plot was quite repetitive. Put this together with a rather unhappy/unsatisfying ending (which is the point of the book but still), I found it a difficult book to engage with.
Even so, I did like the writing style; there was lots of description and the writing was accessible. I just didn't really get gripped by the book as much as I thought that I would.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Classism, and Racism
eve81's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Classism
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