galerieanna25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Homophobia
m4rtt4'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Grief
rachpach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Abortion, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, and Sexual violence
jennipiccalo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Rape, Abortion, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
sakisreads'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book took me a little while to get into initially, but once I was about 25% in I was ready to invest. I spent a LOT of time thinking about this book.
There are many content warnings that are required, so if any of those below upset you please do not read.
What a deeply draining book! I came away and breathed a sigh of relief, because Mungo went through a LOT.
I can’t imagine having lived through a period like that, and yet Douglas Stuart wrote this in such a way that you could see everything and understand all that Mungo endured.
Maureen was by far the most complex character I felt; there could be a book written about her too!
Lots of love for Mungo, James Jodie and surprisingly Calum? ❤️ I wasn’t expecting the feature from him towards the end 🥹
4 out of 5 stars from me, thank you ✨
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Pedophilia, and Rape
bakkuababy'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Violence, Homophobia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Addiction
milkfran'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
4.25
Like Shuggie, it’s a grim portrayal of the real struggles faced by working class people in a post-Thatcher Glasgow and the painful reality of alcoholism.
It’s not a spoiler to say that it has strong LGBTQ+ themes and comes with a content warning for homophobia along with a long list of other things.
Beautifully written but I’m still not sure what to make of it- it feels very much like Shuggie part two. Grim and brutal and certainly not an easy read if you’re feeling emotional. Ooft.
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Rape, Child abuse, and Racism
pkc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Spoiler
No one should endure what he has to, but the result is that he survives his ordeal with his brother and the loch and comes back with a sense of perspective - he will fend for himself and do what is right for himself.All in all, a much bleaker picture than ‘Shuggie Bain’ but definitely more complex and engaging.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Animal death, Bullying, Vomit, Rape, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Death, Medical trauma, and Outing
remimicha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Abortion, Ableism, Abandonment, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Classism, Bullying, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, Murder, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Hate crime, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Infidelity
notthatcosta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
However, the flashes forward to the plot at the loch veered into misery porn in a way that felt unnecessary. I hate the countryside as much as it is, and I don't feel like the events that transpired really added anything to the book, nor did it really inform the plot. I feel like it would have been a total triumph had it completely erased that sub plot, including the ending.
Overall the excellent parts outweigh the part I resented having to read, and I'm keen to read Shuggie Bain off the back of this.
Graphic: Abortion, Misogyny, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Pregnancy, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Grief, and Violence