Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Le sette lune di Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

55 reviews

livcashmere's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I was pretty disappointed with this book, probably my own fault as I went into it with extremely high expectations. Overall, I found the writing to be too disjointed. The plot felt like it was jumping all over the place for the first two thirds of this book. I also found the twist at the end to be a little predicable. However, I did enjoy the character  developed and the authenticity in which they were portrayed, especially Jaki. In fact, I would have liked more from her character. I think the last third of this book is what won me over more in the end. I like that all the characters, even the dead ones, had realistic endings. I hate it when books end to cheery for every character. The ending definitely had that nice ‘full-circle’ feel to it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Hate crime, Violence, Homophobia, Colonisation, Death, War, Kidnapping, and Suicide

aristarcodisamo's review

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Gore, Violence, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, War, Child abuse, Torture, Car accident, Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Colonisation, Animal death, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Addiction

bronzeageholly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.75

Exceptional. A book about forgiveness and witness, about reflection and observation, politics and religion, humour and pain, war and society, hope and probability, about life after death.

This was an eye-opening and emotional read; I laughed, gasped, cried, and pondered throughout the whole book. Each character was unique and whole, and each aspect of the plot (the personal and the wider political) was interesting and engrossing.   

I was occasionally a little lost in trying to follow where Maali was and build the scenery as he travelled. However, all in all, this book was absorbing, immersive, and captivating. I instantly believed and was wrapped up the magical realism aspect.

Some of the sections - and the philosophising they brought on - will stay with me forever. 

“I've watched your kind. Both as beast and as ghost. I can’t understand why humans destroy when they can create.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, Torture, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, Homophobia, and Violence

brookes_bookshelves's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, War, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Abandonment, Death of parent, Animal death, and Genocide

owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

“‘This is where dreams are. I come here many times. To visit him and my girls.'

‘Him? You mean God?'

She laughs. ‘No, child. My husband. The father of my babies.'

‘The professor?'

‘He supported me though he didn't agree with me. He stopped all politics after I died. He's Down There. Looking after my girls. He's a lovely father. And I visit him in dreams and tell him whenever I can.'”

I loved this! Long live second-person narration. What a wonderful, moving and dark book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Cursing, Death of parent, Classism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Colonisation, Car accident, Child death, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexual violence

ruby_mae_read's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child death, Addiction, Animal death, Suicide, War, Death, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, and Physical abuse

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

3.0

I am honestly not sure what to make of this book. The folklore is incredibly lush, and this definitely taught me more about Sri Lanka than 16+ years of school but it was a bit of a slow start.

Maali was… not a good person but he tried to do right by his family in the end, and i really liked him becoming a helper. DD… I’ll be honest he pissed me off. The entire time he’s being skeptical & unhelpful while Jaki risks her life for their friend/lover… his dad literally had his bf murdered and he just ate it up & got a WHITE boyfriend weeks later… their relationship was awful but still YIKES. 

Sena… what a bitch boy. 

The ending was a bit sad but hopeful, I need to think on it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Colonisation, Death, Toxic friendship, War, Torture, Violence, Homophobia, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

jareadforfilth's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

The formatting of this book was a little confusing, I switched back and forth and sometimes combined reading my physical copy and listening to the audio to help me get through which was a bit difficult to follow when using just audio alone. Still, this book definitely came through in the end in terms of not only the resolution, but also the mystery of who killed Maali Almeida took me wayyyy by surprise, and there’s a glorious misdirect too. 

This book is very satirical as well and was definitely super funny and sassy which I lived for!! It did read as rather slow for me though, personally. There are definitely moments of conflict that are helpful, but I found myself inching through at times.

I love how this book really makes you think though—the irony in the idea that so much of what guides us through our lives is the wills of the dead really made me think and I thought it was so clever and also awful 😂 in a good way though! This book is very reflective and Maali is an anti-hero who transforms in wonderful ways through this story. You root for him but are also like WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!? And I looooove Jaki, his best friend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, War, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Suicide, Murder, Death, and Torture

lucyeanderson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

this was an easy 4.5 stars for me. as much as sometimes i struggled to follow the book, due to its deep and complicated political happenings and cast of characters, i think this was more due to my own non-education on sri lankan history, rather than anything to do with the author or the book. i found this book so interesting. i really didn’t know a lot about it’s setting prior to reading, and thought the cantering of an atheist with an unknown political leaning allowed the events to be showcased clearly. i loved maalis voice, and thought he had the right combination of sardonic humour and cynicism, as well as optimism and light. i found the extended cast of characters incredibly interesting - they represented many different generations, beliefs, and touched on how the events of a country can affect its diaspora as well as its citizens. having read the book, i definitely want to research more about sri lanka and it’s history, and most certainly it’s mythology and belief systems - the inclusion of this as a vessel for the magical realism was so cool to learn through, and gave me an insight into beliefs so different from my own. i was hesitant about the second person perspective, but found that this was the perfect way to present the story, as you felt as though you were experiencing and learning with maali in real time. and that twist?! omg it broke my heart, i did NOT see that one coming. heavy warning for graphic descriptions of violence, though i don’t see it as used unnecessarily and trivially. overall, though i got through it at a slow pace, i really enjoyed reading this book - i’m so glad i found it and got to experience this story. 4.5/5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Confinement, Violence, Classism, Genocide, Car accident, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Death, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Kidnapping, Blood, Murder, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

bootrat's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, War, Xenophobia, Death, Violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Police brutality, Suicide, Kidnapping, Incest, Genocide, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Incest, Car accident, and Torture