Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

11 reviews

makerealityvanish's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

I'm not a huge crime reader, in fact it has been 5ish years since I read one. I really loved this one. It was exactly what I needed after reading Wuthering Heights. It was a fast paced and engaging read. I wouldn't usually think to describe a crime book as cosy and sweet, but that is exactly how this one felt. I loved all the main characters. I laughed, I shed a tear. Cannot wait to read the next one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Dementia

Moderate: Eating disorder

bootrat's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Murder

Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief

Minor: Xenophobia

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

Three people I know recommended this book to me. If they'd led with how funny it is, I might've read it sooner. On the other hand, if they'd led with how corpse-strewn and emotional it is, I might've read it sooner, too. (Basically, what I'm saying is, if you're going to recommend a book to me, please tell me why you think I'd like it. No matter how much I like you, just telling me, "I liked it" won't convince me.) Anyway. This is a funny, emotional, corpse-strewn mystery, and I liked it a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Graphic: Ageism Moderate: Nonconsensual drug use, Euthanasia

douglasreaddimg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder and Fatphobia

Minor: Suicide

katietregs's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it took me a while to get into it. If I hadn’t been reading it for a book club, I might have even given up around page 100. 
The murder mystery aspect does have good payoff, and the characters are rich and lovable. I think it suffers from too many POV characters up front and not enough storyline events to justify the story’s overall complexity. 

I also think the suicide of Bernard felt unnecessary, and rushed. And the priest’s story was supposed to be sympathetic, but it made him seem like a weird creep to me. If the nun was going to run off with him… why did she hang herself? and why did Bogdan send the picture to Jason?

That said, it’s an impressive first novel from Osman with good mystery and great characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying and Eating disorder

navyakrish's review against another edition

4.5

This book is a classic example of a 'cosy murder mystery' - perfect for when you need some thoroughly lovable characters with a side of gore to keep you hooked. The author balances comedy, tragedy, love and loss very well in this story. The narration is what completely sold the book for me. Can't wait to go on more adventures with this awesome foursome. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder

msjenne's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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? No

4.5

A lot of times mystery novels just feel kind of pointless and contrived, but I really enjoyed this one! There are lots of fun characters who have interesting relationships with each other, and since they are all very aware that they’re solving a mystery and sort of “in conversation” with the concept of mystery novels, it all works better than you’d think. Plus always bonus points for middle-aged and elderly characters. 
I could have done without the one guy’s body/diet issues but overall it was a delight. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder

naelle04's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Death and Eating disorder

Minor: Drug use and Alcohol

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I picked up The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman because I liked the idea of reading a mystery set in a retirement village!

 

Blurb: 

Four members of a retirement community form a club to discuss and try to solve cold cases. When one of the people who helped build their community is murdered, they decide to take the opportunity to solve a real-life murder case.

 

Review:

It is easy to see why The Thursday Murder Club gained such buzz when it was released. The writing is clever, the elderly members of the Thursday Murder Club are endearing and well-written, and the book (especially the first half) is chock full of humor. I laughed out loud several times while reading. At the same time, the retirement community setting—a place that is both lively and sober, given the age of its members—offers an opportunity for touching and poignant moments as the characters face the realities of aging and losing loved ones.

 

Toward the end of the novel, as Osman works to tie up the loose ends to the main mysteries, the red herring mysteries, and almost every other random plot point he has introduced, I started to feel lost in the weeds. The book contains an unusually large supporting cast of characters, and nearly every single one of them had their own ending or mystery that Osman felt the need to address. The focus shifted away from the main Thursday Murder Club members, draining the story of much of its initial humor and heart. Although I enjoyed watching the police and the senior citizens work through the clues and the mystery step by step, I was disappointed that the author still opted for the surprise “info-dump” resolution to the mysteries instead of letting the reader figure out the solution at the same time as the characters.

 

The story also suffers from occasional tonal dissonance as Osman tries to make the narrative funny, cerebral, lighthearted, serious, and exciting. One throwaway line that stuck out to me in this regard was a remark about one of the main police characters: “She had arrested a shoplifter in Fairhaven last week, and when he had struggled, she had brought him down with a baton between the knees. She was aware she had hit him much harder than she should. Sometimes you just had to hit things” (124-25). That line greatly disturbs me, as it paints police brutality as something that is normal and relatable. The book completely glosses over the problematic nature of referring to a person as a “thing” that can be beaten by police to let out their excess anger. There were other similar, if less alarming, instances where Osman occasionally drops the ball when trying to juggle multiple tones. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed many aspects of The Thursday Murder Club, but my enjoyment waned significantly as the story went on. I do not feel compelled to pick up any of the story’s sequels.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You are a fan of cozy, small-town murder mysteries 

·      Following a quirky cast of elderly crime solvers sounds like fun

·      You enjoy stories that alternate between humorous remarks, serious reflections on life and death, and crime investigation

 

 

You might not like The Thursday Murder Club if:

·      You prefer simpler mysteries

·      You don’t like having to keep track of multiple characters and plotlines

·      You are upset by people making light of murder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Suicide, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry

danajoy's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This is charming but didnt really grip me. 
There are a lot of characters to keep track of and while they were distinctive I did find myself losing track. 
This did strike me as the sort of book my mum would love. 
I'd classify this as a cosy mystery, if that is something you like then you may love this. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol