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Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
3 reviews
purplepenning's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Grief, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Car accident, and Death of parent
fuguballoon's review against another edition
I had to stop reading after the second outing (homophobia). It was too upsetting.
This is a character-driven novel, but ironically, most of the reader's insight into the characters comes via external action. I think the author was much better at writing Ned, the main male character, than any of the women. Some of the women's choices just didn't have the same clear motivations as Ned, and their characters were less consistent. (My pet peeves were Betty and Florence, who both read as classic narcissistic parents, but magically became thoughtful when it was convenient to the story, which--if you know any real narcissistic parents--is not a thing.)
Even so, this book wasn't badly written on a craft level. I just couldn't stomach the homophobia, and from reading the other reviews, it sounds like it was only going to get bleaker the rest of the way.
This is a character-driven novel, but ironically, most of the reader's insight into the characters comes via external action. I think the author was much better at writing Ned, the main male character, than any of the women. Some of the women's choices just didn't have the same clear motivations as Ned, and their characters were less consistent. (My pet peeves were Betty and Florence, who both read as classic narcissistic parents, but magically became thoughtful when it was convenient to the story, which--if you know any real narcissistic parents--is not a thing.)
Even so, this book wasn't badly written on a craft level. I just couldn't stomach the homophobia, and from reading the other reviews, it sounds like it was only going to get bleaker the rest of the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Outing
Minor: Domestic abuse
sarah2's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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
I really enjoyed the structure of this novel. The intertwining character POVs and time jumps helped to create fully realized characters whom I wanted to spend time with. There were some abrupt character development moments in the last third of the book that felt somewhat jarring, but the emotional payout made up for those moments. I also feel like J. Ryan Stradal does such a great job at establishing place. The atmosphere and characters were familiar to anyone who has spent time in a small Midwestern town. Overall I really enjoyed this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Domestic abuse and Homophobia