Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The North Water by Ian McGuire

11 reviews

giro_revuescope's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

2.75

I was really looking forward to my hold coming in and then SO disappointed, wow.

Where is the rest of the damn book? If I'm reading a trapped in the frozen north story I expect a long haul! I shouldn't be able to finish it in a day because the author didn't bother to actually write any of the trapped in the frozen north bits!

Some of the plot is interesting but the laziness of presentation and the astoundingly high slurs/page ratio really got to me. I'm not pearlclutchy about language (I recently LOVED Devil In A Blue Dress) but after a certain point you have to establish why you're doing it and there seemed to be no reason other than that he COULD which was not sufficient for me. MELVILLE MANAGED GODDAMN SOMEHOW.

Also don't tease a dual narrative and then get lazy about writing the other POV! My god! What was the point!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia

farmpaws's review against another edition

4.0

Beautifully written with vivid imagery and fascinating characters. McGuire transports you easily into the world of the story and all its vicious and brutal elements. The way he describes the scenery was particularly striking, perfectly capturing the distinct beauty and loneliness of the arctic. It was really interesting how he wove the three elements of the storyline (man vs man, man vs government, man vs nature) especially in a setting that is so isolated. 

This would’ve been higher starred but the author has the unfortunate belief that using  many slurs and extra-gross descriptions makes the story more grim and dark. Nothing would have changed had they been taken out and it was honestly more annoying than anything. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Racism, Rape, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, and Colonisation

stepfarmer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

if i hadn't watched the show based upon this book, i might not have picked it up at all. that being said, it's an enjoyable short read, if a bit stomach-churning at parts. mcguire has a stunning ability to capture character voice, and i enjoyed how he explored the idea of man vs man and man as beast thru sumner and drax's characters. def recommend for anyone interested in lost-at-sea type of stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War

brief scene of necrophilia

starsreside's review against another edition

dark medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, and Colonisation

bersblue's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and Colonisation

kastionsol's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, and Colonisation

lamorna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, and Outing

samster's review against another edition

I'm sorry, I found the graphic first chapter far too unpleasant. I'm not usually squeamish, this is the second book I remember finding this unpleasant (though for different reasons) & I forced myself to finish the last one, and regretted it. So, I'm stopping this one here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Content warning not on the list for necrophilia.

sirissacgluten's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Cannibalism

jackbifrost's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, and Colonisation

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Outing, and Alcohol