Reviews

Learned by Heart by Emma Donoghue

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_philly_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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? No

4.0

qofdnz's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

3.0

This book was just a ramble without a real purpose. Disappointing.

likecymbeline's review

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4.0

I knew of Anne Lister and thought this book of young love and school days might be largely invention, but Donoghue's notes afterwards reveal just how much was drawn from reality. The story is simple in many ways, with a personal relationship driving the plot but feeling often like a vehicle for Donoghue to explore a time and setting that's so intimately described you feel you are inside this school with these characters. She cultivates the period remarkably, complete in her interpretation without being overdone. The values of the world are transmuted perfectly to the reader, with the arbitrary rules and priorities of a girl's school providing a backbone for the action that plays out. And seeing Lister through the eyes of our narrator is the best way to portray her. We watch as she thwarts social expectations but gets away with it because of her magnetism, we get to witness how contradictory she is and yet see that these contradictions make perfect sense and are accurate to a real person.

Splendidly written. The first book by Emma Donoghue that I've read, but I'm keen for more now.