Reviews with content warning for Death - Black Butterflies

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

55 reviews

jessv's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

It feels odd to say that "not much happens" for a story that takes place during a war, but it focuses on the protagonist trying to carry on with her daily routine while the situation deteriorates around her. This is not a criticism but rather a compliment to the novel, as it conveyed monotony and devastation in the same breath.

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rebeccafell_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

“'Black butterflies’, he says softly. He peers at the scorched page as if trying to read it, then carefully places it in his breast pocket. ‘Burnt fragments of poetry and art catching in people's hair’” (p.148)

The fact that this is a debut novel amazes me. Capturing the indomitable human spirit amidst terror and destruction, Morris portrays how one woman and her neighbours navigate a besieged Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. Art played an integral role in this, demonstrating how it can be used as both a weapon to erase identity and an emblem of resilience. A heartbreaking but extremely important read, I can see why it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2023. I was hooked from start to finish.

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just_sit_and_read's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I've only just started using this app to record my reading in 2025 but wanted to add some books from the previous year as a reminder and this was my absolute favourite. What a debut. Having attended a talk where she shared the stage with Elif Shafak at Hay, I met the author. As a first novel, my expectations were not particularly high but I was pleasantly surprised and sorry when I reached the end! I will probably read it again at some point.

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drsa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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gdulecki's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

This was a quick read, yet immensely heavy. I appreciate the story, especially that it gives life to her family’s history, but it wasn’t particularly well written. Granted, I don’t think it was poorly written either, but it didn’t really stand out to me.

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dariannafv's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

the quote “History is a silent record of people who could not leave” from Paul Lynch’s Prophet Song kept ringing in my head throughout the majority of the novel. war brings destruction, but also community — the best and worse in us

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