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doritobabe's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5 TW for the grooming of children, pedophilia, and manslaughter.
Was torn when I started this. Liked it. Torn again.
Picked this up because I saw the trailer for the movie on a DVD I borrowed from the library. You could call this a coming of age story, but it is dark in more ways than one. Themes of what it means to be human, the effects of trauma, secrets secrets secrets. One could argue that the physical environment of the story is tied to the thematic elements of the plot, too, but I won't do much more than lightly speculate about that.
Kohler does well playing with the reader throughout this tale as she directly inserts herself - or a version of herself - into the narrative. Lots to think about with this one. Really captivating. I think I did an injustice by being so sharp with my rating so, I will boost it up to 4/5.
Was torn when I started this. Liked it. Torn again.
Picked this up because I saw the trailer for the movie on a DVD I borrowed from the library. You could call this a coming of age story, but it is dark in more ways than one. Themes of what it means to be human, the effects of trauma, secrets secrets secrets. One could argue that the physical environment of the story is tied to the thematic elements of the plot, too, but I won't do much more than lightly speculate about that.
Kohler does well playing with the reader throughout this tale as she directly inserts herself - or a version of herself - into the narrative. Lots to think about with this one. Really captivating. I think I did an injustice by being so sharp with my rating so, I will boost it up to 4/5.
ouef04's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
malinovka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
laura_darroch's review against another edition
5.0
Decadent and haunting. I could almost feel Kohler's words sinking needle-like into my mind, where they will be staying for a very long time.
daniellemarie96's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely a slower read. A lot of the plot is kept until the last 20 pages or so.
lemonade137's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
2.0
There are some aspects of the writing that make this book seem very naive: first, there is the use of rhyming couplets at the beginning of sections to summarise events that have occurred or will occur. Second, the author doesn't divide the into chapters, instead she begins sections of two or three pages with a question or statement, such as "What We Said to Fiamma" or "Miss G's story", which tell us what will happen in the section. Both of these seem clumsy, the first seems like something a beginning writer would think was clever, and should be gently talked out of by a friend or writer's group, and the second makes the novel seem like it's trying to model itself on a textbook or case-study, but this falls completely flat.
Ignoring these unfortunate devices, some of the prose is really successful. Descriptions of the girls' intimate friendships, the heat and intensity of their lives in a wild countryside, and the image of swimming in the cool water under the African sun, are all beautiful. I read this having seen the film, and I disagree with some other reviews that suggest this book is worse than the film: some aspects are not as strong, but others are stronger. I think the book gives us a better portrait of the individual girls, and of Fiamma, the unlucky girl whose demise shadows the book. I also think Fiamma's ending is more interesting and more complexly explored.
However, the character of Mrs G doesn't get as much space in the book as she is allowed in the film, and her actions seem more flat, and it's harder to understand why the girls find her so compelling and why they are so willing to excuse her actions. I found that the book felt unbalanced: some moments the writing was clear and compelling and I was interested in the characters, and other times it felt like a rough sketch. This feels like a book that could have used a lot of editing, but at the same time, I found a lot of things to enjoy.
Ignoring these unfortunate devices, some of the prose is really successful. Descriptions of the girls' intimate friendships, the heat and intensity of their lives in a wild countryside, and the image of swimming in the cool water under the African sun, are all beautiful. I read this having seen the film, and I disagree with some other reviews that suggest this book is worse than the film: some aspects are not as strong, but others are stronger. I think the book gives us a better portrait of the individual girls, and of Fiamma, the unlucky girl whose demise shadows the book. I also think Fiamma's ending is more interesting and more complexly explored.
However, the character of Mrs G doesn't get as much space in the book as she is allowed in the film, and her actions seem more flat, and it's harder to understand why the girls find her so compelling and why they are so willing to excuse her actions. I found that the book felt unbalanced: some moments the writing was clear and compelling and I was interested in the characters, and other times it felt like a rough sketch. This feels like a book that could have used a lot of editing, but at the same time, I found a lot of things to enjoy.
beautyistruth's review against another edition
2.0
Lightly written but strange as heck (which may be how it's most interesting for me) and I really, really wanted to have some background or psychological depth given for the teacher Miss G. in it. It feels like a children's book or fairy-tale but with homoerotic adult themes. Tries unsuccessfully to be like Golding's Lord of the Flies but is too shallow or lacks the necessary dark force and build up to pull that off.
bella_donna's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Deportation, and Fatphobia