Reviews tagging 'Death'

Изгубените цветя на Алис Харт by Holly Ringland, Холи Рингланд

28 reviews

alicejm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

A good first novel, but very clearly a first. The writing style was disrupted and jolty. The main characters weren't given room to breath, and the side characters (who were by far the best characters) weren't given enough time. The lack of communication between family members was infuriating and unnecessary. This is not the book for you if you find miscommunication frustrating. The first half and the second half were written very differently. The mystery aspect was really compelling though and I enjoyed wondering about things. The exploration of generational trauma was also very well done. If you want to find out more about flowers, this book ain't it sadly. All the flower meanings are made up.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

moizd's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death of parent

writingcaia's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book sneaked up on me. I knew nothing going in, and as soon as I opened it and was faced with the beautiful flower illustration and the meaning of it I was immediately taken, but that was nothing. Yes, the illustrations are amazing and the floriography too, and are meaningful headers for each chapter, but the story, the tale was beyond captivating.
This is the coming of age of Alice Hart who at nine loses her father and pregnant mother to a fire, a fire she thinks she caused escaping her abusive, violent father. Initially, in very bad shape due to her fathers abuse, she stays in the hospital for a long time, and there she has only the librarian she met once reading to her, then a grandmother she never knew she had comes to take her when she is released, even though the trauma has taken her voice. And, there she goes into the unknown, into place that will be the secrets and the past hidden from her but always present, where truths and more lies lie, and the place where she will grow and love, and find that there, at Thornfield, where wild flowers bloom, a native flowers farm, florist and floriographist place, where abused and lost women - the “Flowers” - care for it, she too will blossom. But, will her overbearing, stubborn grandmother June allow her to fully be herself, to fully bloom?
So many secrets, so much violence in this family story, in these enchanting places, from a beautiful and raw seaside, to the dry and flowered native desert, in an Australia of abused women, abused natives.
Alice will have to brave it all and discover if she’s strong enough to break her family’s cycle, to have her voice and not let it be taken from her, to be the owner of her destiny.
I could talk about it all at length. The characters are rich and the history of the family so dense and complicated. The flowers, plant ones and women ones, and how they’ll play such a great part in all of it. But, I don’t want to give it away. I want you to brave it all with Alice.
For me the novel only failed in that I would have liked to know more of the implied final romance and more of some of the “Flowers” backstories and destinies, and the dog!!!
An absolutely gorgeous debut nonetheless, with, as you gathered, themes of family, abuse, coming of age, colonialism, and the good and bad people that shape one’s life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Rape

Minor: Alcoholism and Animal death

timbsy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Grief

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ashyyy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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 book feels so special, but I'm not entirely sure why. I fell into a world I was not expecting to find and lived alongside characters I grew to love and care for. I felt such a pull towards Alice Hart's character and the need to see her safe and looked after.
The writing was easy, yet beautiful, to read. I found myself enjoying the secret language of flowers and going back to discover what characters were saying to each other through them. I already want to read it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

hannah_likes_to_read's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

yuidf's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy

june_haya's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Vomit and Stalking

sandy_77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I recommend those who love australian wildlife and flowers to read this book. It has such a good story you will never forget  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death of parent

spellygirl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Really unsure how to rate this. I liked the flower language. I liked the parts with Moss and some of the other Flowers. I liked the stories about the tourism and indigenous people. I liked Sally 

It was also very slow paced, jumping around a lot
And committing the same mistakes as so many others. I know it happens in real life, but it still bugs me. 

Checking trigger warnings is recommended.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual violence, and Stalking