Reviews

The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey

tarajoy90's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Dementia

booksandabackpack's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual content

amelie5m's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

corinniebee's review

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

eunicek82's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

This was an effective and sad book that was well-written. However, the reading of it was often frustrating and a bit tedious, which I think is the point. We keep circling back to the same stories, but the details keep changing just a bit. This alternates with a present day perspective that more objectively shows the main character’s decline. So, while this was probably a very accurate portrayal of what living with dementia might feel like, I’m not sure that I enjoyed the reading process. 

stephsnow's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

meganturnsthepage's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

margaret21's review against another edition

5.0

This is the story of Jake, 65 year old Jake, whose wife has died, whose son is in prison, whose daughter ..... well, Jake has Alzheimers, and we tumble with him into a tangle of reminiscence, misleading timelines and confusion, as like him, we try to make sense of his new helplessness and puzzlement about the fates of those he holds dear.

This is a wonderfully imagined book, which gave me real insight (and fears) into an existence entirely dominated by unreliable memories, whether of mothers, lovers, or where to store the coffee cups. Here is a man who was once an architect with vision, now reduced to dependency and frustration.

Beautifully written, it had me gripped till the last page.

maryw's review

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

carmelitasita's review

4.0

4 stars more for the way she wrote a first-person account of someone whose mind is deteriorating from Alzheimer's than from the plot which was probably around 3 stars.