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cecereads__'s review against another edition
4.5
I don’t want to compare it to Shuggie Bain though there are many crossovers. However, I feel like the author has honed in on his craft and found sth that works for him. I’d like to think I could tell of a progression.
Themes of neglect, isolation, violence and alcoholism to be aware of.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
commiebeatle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Abortion, and Murder
juliep810'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
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
3.25
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: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
leahcatching's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Murder
0palsea'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
Really raw and realistic story of growing up gay in working class Glasgow. Would recommend listening to the audiobook to add to the experience.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Outing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
pstillbejeweled's review against another edition
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
cluckieduck'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? Yes
5.0
What it did do, however, was reinforce my love for romance novels because the amount of despair & anguish that poor Mungo goes through is too much for my poor heart. Seems I can only take one piece of contemporary fiction like Young Mungo each year! Thankfully it ended on a somewhat hopeful note, otherwise I don't know how I would have coped.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Excrement and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
montyalmoro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail