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jhbandcats's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I finished the memoir a few days ago and immediately started The Alienist. When I first read it, Google didn’t exist and I knew nothing of Carr’s history. Reading it now was a very different experience than in 1994. I understood Carr’s references and had images of old New York at my fingertips, able to see High Bridge Tower, Croton Reservoir, and other landmarks.
I could see Carr’s childhood everywhere in the book. His knowledge about alcoholic and abusive parents clearly comes from experience. That and his study of New York City give a vivid feel to the whole book, despite its taking place a century earlier than when written.
The Alienist is a page-turner but it’s not for the faint of heart looking for a beach read. It addresses class and wealth and education, power and corruption, mental illness and the care of the mentally ill, the desperation that drives children into prostitution, and the violence that results from continued abuse and bullying. It’s a beautifully written story about a terrible time when terrible things happened all too frequently.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sappypatheticm's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Excrement, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Cannibalism
elenikin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty
jmross10's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The strongest part for me was the use of history to inform the story, particularly the criminology aspect. It was interesting to see how the characters drew certain conclusions based on early studies and new practices. I especially liked that they tried (at least one) scientific principle that had no real basis. It shows the trial and error aspect of research which suits the subject matter.
It’s not a fast read by any means but it was an interesting one.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief
clemencepct's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Excrement
lilifane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You definitely need at least some interest in the following, though: New York City (preferably it's history) and CSI/Criminal Minds (crime scene investigations and criminal profiling). Because there is a lot and I mean A LOT of words dedicated to these topics. Which means I loved it.
The story takes place in 1896 New York City and is a about an alienist (duh) trying to catch a serial killer. But it's not really a who done it, it focuses more on the psychological factor of such a crime, on the obsacles during that time to pursue such a goal and on all the methods of forensic science and criminal profiling that we take for granted now but that didn't really exist back then or were just being discovered.
I needed some time to get into the writing style and setting but once I was used to it, I really enjoyed it. To discover one of my favourite cities in such a historical setting was really cool and I appreciated how much time Carr spend on describing it in such a detailed and intimate way. (I wasn't that much interested in the political aspects though.)
The whole investigation process was amazing. Yes, it was very detailed and slow paced sometimes but... I didn't know that a whole chapter about the analysis of one letter could be this exciting. And discovering all those details with the protagonists little by little was absolutely rewarding.
Fell in love with the protagonists very quickly btw. The way they interacted with each other was just beautiful.
But... there are some things that bothered me, although most be attributed to the time the book was placed in. Sooo few women for example (although a very very cool one among the protagonists). And the way mentally ill people, queer people, sex worker were talked about even by some of the progressive protagonists (although one aspect of the book is to accept/respect these margialised groups more). I'm conflicted. Some deaths and the purpose they had make me angry. And this has nothing to do with the time period, this I just didn't like.
But as a whole I was really impressed by the book and how smart the plot was. And the author's note in my edition was hilatious. The story with the fake photo is my new fav thing.
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
alexdicanio's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The book has a slow pace, but i enjoyed it. I was never bored, and always wanted to keep going. Not only did the mystery keep me interested, but the politics did as well. 1890’s New York is a wild time and place. I really enjoyed the protagonist, I though he was an interesting, and at times pretty funny character.
I will add trigger warnings to this review as well, especially considering the setting. There are a few racist terms and stereotypes mentioned.
During one of the scenes, Moore And Kreizler are at the Museum of Natural History investigating something, and there is a man (I can’t remember his title) taking them through and explaining everything. They are there looking into traditions and beliefs of Native American tribes, primarily the Sioux and other tribes from the Dakota’s. The man informing them mentions that he knows people are quick to make assumptions based on very little information (or most likely rumors) that they have heard. He also mentions that most people don’t know the complexities, and issues of the White - Native American relationship the U.S. has had, therefore even quicker to judge and further racist stereotypes.
If you like historical fiction, and crime, you will probably enjoy this book.
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Excrement
Minor: Racial slurs