Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Quiet Life

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella was the first book I read of Joella’s. It wasn’t on my radar until last week when I heard a bookish podcaster gush about it and describe it as a family and community story of contemporary fiction. I picked this book through my Book of the Month Subscription last year, but it has sat on the shelf since then. I loved this book and now plan to read Joella’s first book, A Little Hope, next.

The book follows Chuck, who recently lost his wife to cancer, Ella whose daughter has been taken by her ex-husband and not heard from in months, and Kirsten, who recently tragically lost her father and altered her career plans as they cope with their situations. We learn they are all connected in one way or another and we begin to explore how people find peace after loss and how people can move on and heal through these circumstances.

I am a sucker for these family books of contemporary fiction. Not to mention that both of Joella’s books have stunning covers. This book was well-written. It is driven mainly by character development, which I love. I would compare this book to books like Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro and Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.

5 Stars

Content Warnings: Death, Cancer, Kidnapping, Trauma, Murder

Content Warnings

karyan1's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

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thenecessarysalamander's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

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iovreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

I might have liked this book more if I didn’t cry every single time I picked it up!

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mary_elizabeth's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Three characters dealing with loss and grief in different forms.

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deagaric's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

"Cardinals are the most special birds because they kept us company in winter when the other birds leave [...] Be someone's cardinal."

Heartwarming story about processing grief from the perspective of three main characters. We are introduced to an elderly man who loses his wife to cancer and struggles to deal with regrets of unresolved arguments, a young woman who unexpectedly loses her father during an armed robbery and is trying to make sense of the unexplainable tragedy, and a mother of a kidnapped child who is trying to remain under chaotic circumstances.

Joella captures the multifaceted aspects of grief, loss, and loneliness, and leaves the reader with a sense of hope by the end. Very character-driven plot with plenty of character development throughout. Also, remarkably short book even for 304 pages (there are blank pages between many of the chapters). Quick, comfy read for winter.

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cassiereadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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