Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell

21 reviews

glorifiedloveletters's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This is the third Maggie O'Farrell book I've read this year (the others being her memoir, I AM, I AM, AM; the other, HAMNET), and by the end of next year, it wouldn't surprise me if I read the rest of her books.

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is not only a great title (and one of my favorite songs), but the writing here is so, so good. A dozen+ characters all realized so fully. Loved it wholeheartedly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Abortion

Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, and Murder

alice2000's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Abortion, and Death of parent

chris_reads's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Abortion

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Panic attacks/disorders

abbeysoffel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Medical content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Abortion

Minor: Eating disorder and Gun violence

sarah_eggleton's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I expected to me more gripped by this book, I particularly care about the main characters as much as I did the side characters. It made me laugh and is wonderfully descriptive, but I think having so many perspectives didn’t leave enough time to get fully invested in the main characters stories 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Eating disorder and Abortion

angelaf's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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

3.0

This Must Be the Place may be one of the most well-written books I have read. Its structure is so intricate that I am in awe of how the author continued developing the characters while moving the narrative forward. The author's use of different devices, such as the auction catalog, blows my mind. Even though I am in awe of the author's craft, I didn't particularly enjoy reading the book. At times, it felt tiring to start another chapter without any context or idea who was speaking. I kept wanting to return to all the questions I had, questions that the author made me infer the answers to myself. I also dislike interlocking short stories which This Must Be the Place reminds me of. Read if you enjoy: intricate structure, examining author's craft, interlocking short stories, unlikeable characters

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion

Divorce, shooting death, psoriasis, divided families

ola_wnka's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Abortion

garlinds's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I always forget how much I love family sagas until I pick one up. In this novel, Maggie O'Farrell weaves together the relationship between Daniel and Claudette in such a beautiful and heartbreaking way. 

I fell in love with the characters and their complexities, despite the frustration they caused. I enjoyed how the chapters of this book read like a series of interwoven short stories as each character crossed paths with one another, offering a fresh perspective to the story. And though I got a bit mixed up as the story jumped back and forth in time, I liked how the book explored how our pasts are linked to our futures.

Thank you to @fictionmatters for selecting this as the May book club pick! As always, last weekend's discussion took my reading of this book to a whole new level.

This was my first Maggie O'Farrell, and it certainly won't be my last!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

womanwill's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

emilylovesbooks's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Abortion, and Death of parent