Reviews tagging 'Murder'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

5 reviews

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

This heartfelt but sometimes difficult novel creates a bridge between two characters through a notebook. On one side, Nao is a teenager living in Tokyo and journaling about her depressed father, larger-than-life great-grandmother, and uprooting after several years living in California. On the other side, Ruth is a Canadian-Japanese writer living on the West coast of Canada, on a small and very remote island with her husband, trying to write her next novel and finding Nao’s journal.

I really enjoyed the multi-facetted portrait of Japanese culture this novel delivers. Through Nao and Ruth’s experiences, and what we come to learn about Nao’s family, we get a kaleidoscope of Japan in the 20th century that never feels like a history lesson. Special points go to Jiko, the anarchist and feminist nun that Nao visits in her temple. There were some very hard moments to read about (see the content warnings) and I had to skip a few paragraphs, but it is also a novel bursting with poetry and exploration of identity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Murder

nkmustdie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Classism

vegotter's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

enoemo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.75

this broke my heart and taught me so many things and made me laugh and made me feel so deeply for the characters... truly an amazing read in a way that i find difficult to put into words. the titular theme pops up in so many unexpected and smart ways and despite the magical realism that finds its way into parts of the book the plot feels natural. nao is an utterly believable character and i feel like so many aspects about girlhood that i found so difficult to explain as a teenager come through so well in her diary. i am not entirely sure how i feel about the ending yet, but in a way i suppose the book is built to make you feel that way so... i'll reflect some more and look forward to coming back to this, i'd love to read it again in my lifetime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Rape, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

jaylee_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Dementia, Grief, Murder, and War