Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum

3 reviews

chuckstafer's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.0

This novel wasn't terrible by any means, but it was not great either. It was squarely in the middle for me. The premise was very fascinating: 3 generations of women working together to avoid catastrophe and reconnect over the years. But the story was just so long-winded I kept losing interest in the story. I think too much time was spent in the backstory and a bit more could have been spared for the work between the women to solve the Chornobyl disaster. The conclusion felt not necessarily rushed, but just kind of thrown together, and there was just no substance to it.

I did get invested in the characters at points and hoped they would accomplish their various tasks, but this novel just fell a little short for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture and Antisemitism

frenandjen's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Deportation

mondovertigo's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death and Torture

Minor: Gun violence