Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

24 reviews

galaxy_cat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I was planning on writing a whole essay about all the messages, about the confusion and dread this piece of work causes to anyone who is capable of actually finishing it. About its ability to infiltrate your brain and leave a permanent mark, just like JT describes in the introduction.

But then I realised that maybe it's just a house of leaves. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and War

greatdistractions's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Suicide, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Car accident

raidingkvatch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

tzanet08's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

mooonyaa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

singerscientist's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent

singrequiem's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-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

2.5

I normally DEVOUR books. Especially dark, challenging, flawed, experimental books. This book, no joke, took me literal YEARS to finish, primarily just because of how much Jonny Truant sucks. He sucks hard. I went on forums to ask people to convince me not to just skip all of his notes and story. I’m glad I’m finally through it. I can appreciate the mastery that Danielewski has over the intricacies of his manuscript, the attention to detail, the world building, the control of tone (especially when switching between academic and informal writing styles) but this book was just a slog. I could rant for paragraphs, but I will try and boil it down to: it’s really not that creepy, and the most interesting parts are buried in jargon and presented dryly. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

Minor: Gun violence and Vomit

Existential dread and unanswered questions

siggney's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, and Blood

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Abandonment

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

cgoiris's review against another edition

This is a difficult one to give stars. I sort of think I get what the author was trying to do. I can see multiple layers to the story, from criticising media critics to trying to evoke a deeply unsettled feeling that follows the reader beyond the book.

But there were also parts I despised. Why does every woman in this book have to be profoundly damaged? Why does Bambi never really get a personality beyond motherly concern for our main character? Why does the author try to establish deep and bleak backstories with a couple of sentences, multiple times? It's already a 700 page book, trees died for this, don't be shy, flesh it out. 

I'm gonna try to do the content warnings but I'm probably gonna forget a few because there's A LOT. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Forced institutionalization

chasingpages1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism and Animal death