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dr_kat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
So in my MFA program I was told over and over to do horrible things to my most likeable characters. I was told this makes great fiction and the reader wants it. Like a safe kind of schadenfreude where it’s just fiction so no one is really hurt. I tho k this is BS advice, though. Yes, testing a person to see how they react will often provide interesting, maybe even entertaining results. But like the “bonus short story” included in my copy of Abandon, at what cost to even a vicarious observer? Yeah, no, no thanks. A story needs complications but I don’t think it needs to be the worst of human nature for nearly the entire cast of characters, which is what this story has. Sorry, I’m not really giving spoilers; just my personal thoughts on why this book disappointed me and troubled me. So I read Lacalle’s Lone Women and it had a similar vibe, similar place and time, but no real cannibals, I guess. That left me with a more uplifted feeling even though it was still tragic. It was creepy and mysterious but not to the point of extreme torture. And there were redeemable people and lots of Justice. I could have used some of that in this novel.
But look, that’s just me. If you liked gold mining westerns and ghosts you may love this. I hope so.
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Murder
mrsfishreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
A lot of cursing and extreme violence.cateyeschloe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
fluschita's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism