Review: Girl, Woman, Other – Bernardine Evaristo

My rating: 4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years. This is Britain as it has never been told. This is Britain as you’ve never read it. It is a novel about who we are now.

My thoughts

This review has taken me the longest to write of any review I had written. I finished this novel and have been conflicted about how to rate this novel and could not articulate my thoughts on it.

I have to start by saying that this was a very different writing style for me. I have not read another book that is written without punctuation, barring commas. At first I struggled with this but it is something I ended up getting used to and in the end made the book read more like poetry. I actually was converted to this type of writing by the end and thought it suited the novel well.

This is a well loved book by the book community and I can see why! The novel is so important and educational. I learnt so much by reading it and it was such an insight into Britain throughout the years. This novel deals with race, sexuality, gender to name just a few topics. It was such a moving read and can teach you a lot about any of these areas. The novel is written with passion and it shines through.

My slight issue with the novel was the pace. I was struggling to go back and pick it up because parts of the novel seemed slow. The way the novel was set out meant that each of the twelve characters had their own sections in the novel and sometimes these sections were slow, especially in the areas where you couldn’t see how that character connected to the wider picture.

Personally, I found that the characters each having their own sections had pros and cons. It made the novel slower in parts but it also allowed for amazing character development. The characters were all so vibrant and individual, each having their own story adding to the educational value of the novel. This is a very character based novel rather than action based which may have been why I had issues. As much as I love character development I do love action too. The way all of the characters ended up intertwining and linking was truly wonderful and was really drove me to keep reading the novel when the pace was slower.

This is a novel that is full of such importance and educational value that it is a must read for anyone. It is beautifully written and so well thought out. The characters are strong and full of life and the diversity and topics covered in this novel make it such a significant novel. This novel comes highly recommended by the bookish community and for good reason.

Have you read Girl, Woman, Other? What did you think?

Do you have a suggestion for the next book to add to my bookshelf? Let me know in comments.