Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

15 reviews

vireogirl's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

Small book (about twice the size of my phone) with 5 short stories. Clever and the translator did a good job. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Grief

Minor: Death, Sexism, and Death of parent

ninahuynh's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I am liking the genre of elderly lady killers 😆 I like how some of these kills were that they annoyed her, but also that the victim deserved it-

aka the lawyer 👏

I did not understand why

she decided to kill the antique dealer. Is it cause she knew he was gonna swindle her of her antiques?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder

bones_jackson's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

3.0

Deveras peculiar mas não exatamente meu estilo, mas como o segundo livro é curtinho acho que eu vou ler ele também 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Dementia, and Alcohol

theeoldbear's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Death of parent

eggdung's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Murder

katievh's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted fast-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism

azureumbreon's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Body horror

Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse

lmagie's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

At first it seems funny, but it ends up being kinda creepy.

Narration could have been more enjoyable if it had been set in the “present”, without so many flashbacks and explanations

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Dementia, and Death of parent

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

1.0

This book was not for me. I did not realize going into it what I was getting myself into and that is on me, I acknowledge that.

I thought this book was going to be taking a more A Man Called Ove approach but instead it took a total Dexter approach.

This is an 88 year old serial killer who will kill anyone who wrongs her or thinks is going to wrong her. And I know many people in other reviews have said this was “hilarious” and I’m glad that they enjoyed it but how calculating she was, how she did not have any remorse and how she did it all for selfish reasons (even the abuse situation, she killed the husband so she could go back to having a peaceful Christmas day. She did not do it for the abused wife).

I thought this would be giving Carl from UP, where yes he goes against the people trying to take his home but it is kind of loveable and endearing, his grumpy outer exterior because you discover that inside, he is actually a really nice person. Or in A Man Called Ove, same thing he is rebelling against the system that is taking advantage of his wife’s horrible accident, but he does not go and kill the people that wrong him! And as the book goes on, we see that Ove does have a heart, like Carl.

There was nothing redeemable in Maude. She killed anyone that so much stepped a toe out of line or did her wrong in any way, even stabbing one of the men at the grocery store when he couldn’t get her the ham that she wanted.

I know many people loved this and thought this book was hilarious. It is definitely me, not you. I thought this was going to be a light hearted book but it was just a book about an old woman brutally murdering anyone who wronged her, that was it.

She even kills her sister.

Nope, not for me! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

binreads's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

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

3.0

This was an okay read, it did make me laugh at some moments. The overall concept of a little old lady just murdering people whenever she feels like it on the surface is funny. Honestly though, it's quite dark. But, it's interesting how it's under 200 pages, it felt super slow to me. I may pick up the sequel.

I wish we would've gotten more insight on what happened to the victims after they were murdered. </spolier>

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail