Reviews

A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn

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pennyloafa's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. Everyone should read this book. Masterfully written and unforgettable. It’s a difficult book in that it does not flinch from the horrors enacted upon women and children; but, it’s difficulty is what makes it necessary: this unflinching story does the most important work of not allowing the reader to become desensitized to horror, of humanizing but still holding accountable its characters so that we can maybe glimpse into the start of horror and pain with something like mercy. It took me a longer time to read because I had to take breaks, but I am grateful to the author for not allowing me to turn away.

charliejude's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nujulie2001's review against another edition

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Gave up. Just didn’t feel pulled in by any of the characters.

moosalamoo_rnnr's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sweet Jesus. This is the most devastating book I have read this year. It gets ALLLL the content warnings, but also ALLLL the recommendations. The heartbreak and the tears were worth it.

basilisareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

rcondra's review against another edition

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4.0

Did I read this book? Yes. Did I want to at times? No. Did I sob a lot while reading it? Yes.

I felt like I had to read it. To see and honor the real lives who run parallel but swept out of sight.

It was honestly a slow start, but by half way I was so invested. It took me weeks to get 100 pages in and then the rest went in days.

I wish I never picked it up. It was not fun to read, but definitely felt real and important.

Will be unpacking this for a while before starting a new book.