shereadytoread's Reviews (806)

Overall I enjoyed this book. It's the first that I've seen by this author but it was read by Christopher Eccleston so I couldn't resist. This book touches on a lot of different topics including grief, parenting difficulties, alcoholism, loss, and the things that follow us throughout our lives. It switches between a few different perspectives but mostly centering on a father of a young boy who does not feel that they connect with one another. The basis of the book is a long-standing murder mystery that has reawakened in a (smallish?) town in England. This book was a swift read and kept you engaged by switching between the family difficulties and the crime mystery. The characters are unique but still likable. I would recommend to anyone that likes crime novels.

This is a book with a disappointing build but finishes with a great ending. This book touches on a lot of topics like sexual assault, child abuse, sexism (obviously), drug use and coming of age. The book touches on a lot of different stories without really delving into them. The big overarching theme of the book turns out to be that power is naturally corrupting. The last few sections are a wonderful look at what power does no matter who it is given to. The small glimpse into the future given by the last chapter was my absolute favorite part of the book.

The characters (that you are suppose to like) are all complicated but still likable in the end. As each discovers that "the power" hasn't really given them what they thought, you really see each of them turn a corner. The first half of the book drags a bit it's definitely worth the read for the second half.

I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book. It's a good examination of why we care so much about bodies after death, lots of tidbits of history of burial, humourous stories, and even innovation in the disposal of human bodies.

I'd give it a 3.5/5. I don't think this was a necessary sequel at all, but if you were a fan of Lou, you may enjoy it. It has a lot of "twists" and instead of feeling like one continuous story of making your way through grief, it reads as life adding every possible unfortunate life event kicking someone who is down. There is some sexual assault content which was surprising to the tone of the previous book and this one. There is more violent content as well. It is much "edgier" than the previous book but not a terrible read. Worth continuing if you were a big fan of the original.

Nice artwork but the story lacks a little. A nice quick read.

The book is structured as individual stories based on interviews with the subjects about what happened to them and how they forgave the person who wronged them. This covers topics from affairs to genocide. At the end of each chapter the author has a small reflection on what she learned from them. Interestingly enough the author does not tell her story about forgiveness, only speaking abstractly about how she forgave and still works to forgive. I found some of the stories to be more inspiring than others and the reflections were rather repetitive and I don't think they added anything to the book. A quick read (I finished most of it in a a couple hours) that I'd recommend if you like to read about other people's struggles. Quit a few of them are religiously based (Christian) but there are plenty that are not.

I really enjoyed this read and only wish it was longer. A good overview of black superheroes, their portrayals and the evolution of race in comics.