Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

177 reviews

rceparski's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

This is such an unconventional book and I wasn’t sure how to rate it. But I thoroughly enjoyed the odd characters, the way some of the repetitive phrases/scenes felt like a fever dream, and that even though there is so much unsaid you can read between the lines and still understand.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Death of parent

ylimets's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

jully_bean's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Dementia, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

neonskylite's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• 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

I never understood people who read Lolita and are so charmed by Humbert they forget that he's a pedophile. And then I read this book and that distinct first-person narrative voice of Merricat draws you in when she is childish and psychopathic and spends most of the book doing complicated rituals that have no effect on her world because this isn't a magic realist book just Merricat being disconnected from reality and yet,

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Bullying, Dementia, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty

Incestuous themes: Charles is trying to marry his cousin, Constance, and they take on aspects of the Blackwood parents during their "courtship", or at least from Merricat's point of view. And Merricat and Constance are so thoroughly enmeshed with each other...

tey_lynn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

hannahhorror_'s review

dark hopeful mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

Do you take sugar? You don’t? Perhaps it’s for the best. Too much of it can be terrible for your health. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Murder

lakea's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Slavery and Stalking

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.25

As a concept this book is phenomenal. The narration and perspective are really what adds to the unique telling of this story. Merricat's personality is evident within the first half of the first page and her personality defines and shines throughout the story. She is such an enigmatic and deceitful little protagonist and her spicy spit takes on her perceived "enemies" are delightful.
Unfortunately I feel as though the high points of this book are few and far between and the majority of the book is caught between these moments repeating a lot of the same dynamics over and over. For a 145 page book, it took me a while to get through because each page is dense. The story outline is great and the overarching themes are there, but the vehicle to get them to the reader is not worth the trip.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Emotional abuse and Sexism

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

soniajoy98's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Child death, and Drug use