Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

32 reviews

yayathegreat38's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Slavery, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail

ginabyeg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

5.0

This book will definitely give you a taste of nursing in the early 1900’s. Story is fast-paced, engaging from the start, told from the perspective of a still-single nurse in the maternity ward during the 1918-pandemic. Some parts get rather graphic. There are themes of life/death, trauma, and religion. While the book was published in 2020, the author had finished it before that time. I find this makes the character’s insights in the book even more powerful, somehow, and the parallels between then and now extra startling.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

swhitzel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.5

 I have so many thoughts, all of them conflicting.

Generally, this was a beautiful story, but it also seemed quite abrupt (in its ending) and felt as though it had little resolution. Based on the synopsis, I expected more of a relationship to develop between the three main women, and yet the connections felt superficial and forced. They go nowhere, but they also had so much potential!

Also, the depictions of birth and the medical situations were quite graphic. I often found myself sick to my stomach at some of the descriptions, especially early on.

Now that I'm writing this, I think I enjoyed the potential of this story more than the actual story itself. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, War, and Classism

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

mekilouise's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A difficult but somehow still heartwarming read. We spend a couple days with Nurse Powers in the Maternity/Fever ward and learn about love, loss, womanhood, and the violence of childbirth.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse

isaaah's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, and Abandonment

bessadams's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Vomit, Death of parent, and War

kiwialexa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

stargirlmolly's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence and War

plottwisttravels's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death of parent

sarahflanders's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic