Reviews tagging 'Death'

Call the Canaries Home by Laura Barrow

5 reviews

perfectcupoftea's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death and Miscarriage

megelizabeth's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

"I choked back unexpected tears as she flipped through the heavyweight pages, which had been carefully plastered with stickers and cropped photos of our mother and her friends. Something about seeing her so carefree, so young and beautiful, sent a stab of pain through my chest. I wished this were the version of her I remembered."

I loved this book SO much. It explores family dynamics and the effects of grief and trauma so, so well. There's enough suspense to keep the story moving, but it's ultimately a book far more about the relationships between the characters and the growth that they experience individually and together, and I absolutely adored that about it as I connected so deeply with the characters and became fully immersed in their lives and histories. It's a quietly but devastatingly powerful book that both enraptured and destroyed me, and one I can see myself thinking about for a long time to come. 

(Just an absolute masterpiece in my opinion <3)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

 If you're someone who loves books about relationships (particularly family relationships) and are willing to let go of some plot for that, this is a solid read. If you're someone who needs a plot to move things along for you, then this isn't for you. I liked the idea of the book and wish there had been more focus on the plot. The idea was cool and the characters were interesting, but the heavy focus on their relationships meant that there was less room for plot and character development.

The aspects of the book where the sisters were trying to solve their sister's disappearance were fantastic, but the parts that focused on their present-day relationships with one another dragged and eventually just got repetitive. I wish this book had been better executed because it had a lot of potential, it just didn't quite get there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Death of parent

stewartj0421's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

This book got off to a slow start for me. It took me a long time to connect with the characters, but by the end, I was touched by each of their individual journeys. This book is filled with tragedy, yet brimming with hope. It lays bare the most complex parts of humanity and family. In my opinion, it’s a worthwhile read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Murder

bdowning81's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism