Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

10 reviews

olliyeen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This is the best book I have ever read. I say this without hyperbole. I have never had so much meaning put into so few words. The queer subtext was rolling over the pages, without a single recognizable word of queer vernacular. It was achingly beautiful

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Medical content

esoreilla's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Suicide

paulinib's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

phantomgecko's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

A book about people and how they feel. Things happen, but what happens is secondary to how the characters feel about it. I enjoy these sorts of books as long as the characters are likeable or at least interesting.

Kinda depressing though how this 80 year old novel is making some of the exact same social commentary you could make today. (You know, the racism and the capitalism.)

What does it say about me if John Singer is my favorite character? Am I projecting onto him just like the characters of the book? I don't think so? I just like misunderstood and depressed characters? I do not get his relationship with Antonapoulos, but it makes me feel bad for him (and thus want to protect him and like him.)

I assumed the book would culminate with Singer's death somehow. It being a suicide...a suicide because of the death of Antonapoulos...a suicide that none of the other characters will ever understand because none of them knew anything about Singer.... chef's kiss.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry

kenkennady's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Murder, and Classism

aliceandhoney's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

elphaba105's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This is probably my favourite novel of all time. It follows four characters and the friendships they each form with a deaf man, Mister Singer. Each character feels alone and misunderstood in society for different reasons and believe that Singer is the only one who can understand them, despite the fact he is mute. Singer in turn loves dearly his friend Antonapoulos, the only person who he can communicate with in sign language, but is separated from him due to mental disability. Exploring grief, racism, the alienation caused by capitalism and disability, it’s a beautiful and heart-wrenching book. I’ve read it twice (so far) and think about it constantly. I’m not sure I will ever find a book that touches my heart in the same way that this does. It’s very character-driven and almost unrelentingly bleak the whole way through, which I love, but if you’re looking for a lot of plot or a happy ending, you won’t find it here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Suicide, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content

melissacushman's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Meditation on loneliness and misfits trying to find connection. Very mature writing and themes, hard to believe it was written by a 23-year-old! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

acatcalledmartha's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Suicide

rileyharrell's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Come for the depression but stay for the character development!

I probably would not have picked this book up on my own accord if it was not for the book club. All that aside, I am glad that I read this! This book was totally advanced for it's publication time. I mean I think it was published in the late 1930s/early 1940 and it covers topics that are still relevant today. That is really sad to say but it is true..

Yes, this book is sad. Yes, this book has a lot of depression writing. But the writing itself is really well done. I am giving it 4 stars because this book has such rich character development and is not so much plot driven. I definitely needed a book like this that has deep characters that we can learn a lot about after reading so much plot-driven books lately. The characters keep you reading!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Alcohol

I mean this book was written in the 1930s so it doesn't have the.. language that we would use in modern day writing or take into account any trigger warnings.