Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

9 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Kirjan kuvaus oli sen verran hämmentävä, että en oikein tiennyt minkä tyyppistä kirjaa olin alkamassa lukea: onko tämä jännityskertomus, salapoliisikertomus, romanssi vai kummitusjuttu? No, oikeastaan tämä on vähän niitä kaikkia.

Kirja sijoittuu 1940-luvun sodanjälkeiseen Englantiin. Kirjan päähenkilö, tohtori Faraday kutsutaan hoitamaan sairastunutta palvelustyttöä rappioituneeseen kartanoon. Faraday tututstuu perheeseen ja saa pian huomata, että kartanossa tapahtuu kummallisia asioita.

Tunnelmaa rakennetaan vähitelle ja se kantaa läpi kirjan. Kirjailija on onnistunut toteuttamaan mysteerin niin, että lukijan epäilykset säilyvät loppuun asti. Teosta on vaikea kuvata ilman että paljastaa tarinasta liikaa, mielestäni se kannattaa ehdottomasti kokea itse avoimin mielin. 

Tässä tarinassa on elementtejä, joista monet lukijat eivät välttämättä pidä, joten lista niistä spoilerilinkin takana. Mielestäni kaikki nämä elementit olivat kuitenkin paikallaan tässä kirjassa ja sopivat hyvin yleiseen tunnelmaan ja siihen, mitä kirjailija todennäköisesti tavoitteli.

• Kirja on yleissävyltään ahdistava, melkein masentava.
   
• Kirjailija rakentaa tunnelmaa hitaasti. Itse nautin tästä, mutta osa lukijoista saattaa olla sitä mieltä, että kirja on turhan pitkä ja tekstiä olisi pitänyt trimmata.
• Päähenkilö tohtori Faraday ei välttämättä ole samaistuttava hahmo. Hän tuntuu "gaslightaavan" hahmoja. Lisäksi hän painostaa perheenjäseniä tekemään asioita mitä he eivät halua.
• Kirjan loppu jätetään eräällä tavalla avonaiseksi. Jos tällaisista lopusta ei tykkää, saattaa loppuratkaisuun pettyä.

Kansi: Kirjan kansi voisi olla parempi jos ylimääräiset elementit otettaisiin pois ja jätettäisiin vain kartano ja värimaailma.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

phantompansy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Minor: Self harm and Vomit

jillaay_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma

exhumedprince's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Child death and Self harm

annaki_laila's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• 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

2.5

A gothic novel that forgets it's  supposed to be a gothic novel. The first third is promising, the supernatural elements begin to appear and the suspense is there. Then halfway through, the narrator swiftly becomes unlikeable as he initiates a relationship with one of the main characters (with an age gap of over a decade and some generally uncomfortable vibes). The relationship should've been a subplot at most, but it begins to take up far too many pages, and as it continues the narrator just gets more and more selfish and irritating. I began skim-reading some parts at this point because there were so many pages of stuff that was annoying and unrelated to the whole supernatural plot. Having finished the book now, I can safely say that the relationship being romantic was unnecessary. Whatever overarching points about class were being made (which weren't as strong as I thought they'd be based on the blurb anyway) could've been made with the relationship being purely platonic. Anyway!! Rant over, save your time and probably just don't read this book, or read it with lowered expectations, because it really doesn't contain much 'gripping' or 'chilling' content like the blurb describes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual assault

digitalroses's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Cursing, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and War

cavernism's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.75

A Sarah Waters book without any lesbians whatsoever?? But I didn't even care because this is SO dang good. Very spooky, and gets more and more unsettling as the book goes on. It's a slow burn, and you start to dislike the narrator more and more (which is a good thing for the book's structure) and the ending just - WOW. A great gothic story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, and Grief

caseythereader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was gifted to me as part of a book exchange, so as much as I have enjoyed Waters' other work I was very apprehensive when I realised the reviews painted it as creepy, something I don't typically enjoy.

I found that I enjoyed the writing and some of the characters. I was impressed the 1950s setting, feeling that Waters had done her research well, or at least well enough to make it evocative of the era. I definitely appreciated the building and releasing of tension, but don't feel it always paid off as well as the reviews would suggest. 

Although I understand it is appropriate to the setting I didn't like the demonisation of mental health problems. It's always something I find rough to deal with, especially if it becomes a big plot point of some kind.

I'll definitely pick up Waters' work again, but probably not if if they're touted to be creepy.  It's just not my thing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Self harm, Medical content, and Grief

The 1950s setting means all medical care/mental health provision is not viewed through a modern lens. Although the POV character is a GP/family doctor I would not consider the medical content to be especially graphic, although it is relatively regular. Nor described in graphic or exhaustive detail. Suicide:

There are two deaths thought to be by suicide, both include descriptions of the bodies, details of the inquests and one has some details of a post mortem.

Forced institutionalization: This is discussed for more than one character. On mental health grounds.

There are details of the process of committing someone to institutional care in multiple cases, as well as descriptions of the care at an institution multiple times. These are not modern facilities and few positive changes are seen in the patient who is a named character.