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bugferbrains's review
- 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’m seeing a lot of more negative reviews, and I totally understand why. This thing is LONG. It’s repetitive, but for me it wasn’t unbearably so. It helped keep things cohesive and there was enough variation in the repeating themes and visual imagery to keep things interesting while not becoming boring. I kept asking myself, “what is the metaphor or story connection behind this thing?”, which helped to keep my attention, and it made every small detail feel incredibly important and deliberate. It’s also got heavy Christian/religious themes, which I understand, too, that that can be jarring and upsetting when there’s not a single thing in its synopsis that points towards that. If you picked it up because you thought it would be a neat ghost story, or something else classically paranormal, it would totally throw you off. I’m lucky in the fact that I happen to be a spiritual person and wasn’t stuck on wanting to read a spooky, paranormal book at the time I started it, so while I was hoping for a ghost story, I was pleasantly surprised to read about faith struggles (which I’m always a sucker for, no matter how the struggle ends) and commentary on Christianity, both its ugly and beautiful side. It hit me really hard because of it.
It happened to fall into my lap at the right time of my life, echoing some of my own thoughts and feelings about Christianity, its followers, and how we should live and treat others, while also sharing some new ideas with me. At its core, it’s a story about love, hope, and the idea that no one is too far gone from being saved (I don’t mean that religiously). That there is potential for good in everyone, no matter how far it’s been squashed down, that can rise with compassion and the right conditions. I know not every follower believes this, but it resonates deeply with me.
I could go on and on about how deeply I fell in love with the characters, how incredible a relationship the main mother and son have, how much I wish I could hug Mary Katherine, how much I really enjoyed the big twist, the way the writing shifts in style for each character….. Ugh, chef’s kiss. I was worried after the last two reads I had that I’d be on a crappy book streak, but this one was like a breath of fresh air. I’m not usually interested in coming of age stories, but if this is how Stephen Chbosky normally writes I might have to give Perks of Being a Wallflower a chance. Wonderful work!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Infertility, Torture, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy
audalia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Death, Incest, and Pedophilia
rcd229's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Torture
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, and Miscarriage
sreilley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When the lines are crossed between reality and imagination, the lines of morality blur as well.
The main character is a young boy, 8 years old, but with the soul and wisdom of generations.
The small town in rural Pennsylvania finds itself plagued by a strange flu, terrifying thoughts, and a sudden span of time where nobody dies.
Christopher and the nice man come together to fight for good, but the fight isn't quite what Christopher expected...
Toward the end, I wished it would wrap up just a bit faster, but it was incredible and truly transformative.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
None of the content was too disturbing for me (and I'm really squeamish) but it might be for some.eternalbutt's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence and Alcohol
anna_18's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and Incest
madinhoa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit
ryerat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
lycheejelly's review
- 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
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment