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dawntin's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Gun violence
Minor: Child death
audyobooks's review
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, and Gun violence
goblingirlreads's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Damn. Mohsin Hamid's writing is breathtaking. There were sentences that I wanted repeated over and over again because of how perfectly the words were spun (I listened on audiobook) Overall, I'm very impressed with this book. It was stylistically inventive - the whole thing is in second person - and I was fully invested in the whole story. But the suffering in this book, my god. It is so matter of fact and it pained me to the point that I had a hard time enjoying myself. I think Hamid absolutely did this on purpose and it sure made me think and feel a lot. I want to read more of his work but I need a break to read a few lighter things first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Violence
matttruss's review
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Such an interesting book, I don't think I caught every nuance because the book is cleverly filled with them, but I did enjoy it quite a bit. This is the first work of fiction I can recall reading that is told in second person. At first I thought it was a gimmick, but I ended up finding it really interesting. You would think second person would bring you more into the shoes of the character, but I still felt detached enough despite being referred to as "you" the whole time. The "how to" bits I definitely read as satire, which I enjoyed. The narrator is a very interesting character in their own right. The book pulls no punches, it is crude and cringy in parts, but honestly, life can be crude and quirky and cringy at times too. Definitely a book I could see benefitting from re-reads and it's quick enough to make that a realistic goal.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Gun violence
manarnia's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. I thought it was beautiful and interesting and well-written. There are moments that jarred me and moments that made me cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Dementia and Medical content
Minor: Blood, Excrement, and Grief
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