Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

41 reviews

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

itsemmaofc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

emilyrandolph_epstein's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This was an uncomfortable book, but I was able to buy into it until the end, which felt somewhat rushed compared to the pace of the rest.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Death of parent

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

brutal yet beautiful book! I expected to like it based on how much I loved When Women Were Dragons, and did! Barnhill’s prose is so … something! emotive, throbbing, evocative. I felt so dearly for our main character, and felt so acutely the struggle of her family over generations. 

this book was deeply sad and is not very hopeful, but it is powerful and does not devolve into hopelessness or despair for despairs sake. it just is, you feel and sit in those feelings. 

idk much like most of my 5-stars, I can’t really articulate exactly what I liked. Just know that I liked it immensely 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism and Terminal illness

farireadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Beautifully written and poignant retelling of the Crane Wife mythology. A short but effective story, that touches on domestic violence and the effects it can have on a family through the eyes of a unnamed teenager who, through circumstances outside of her control, has been forced to grow up young and take on the burden of protecting her family. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence

jessicafee86's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

booksthoughtsandtea's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book shows the lengths older siblings will go to protect younger siblings, that love isn't enough to live on, the power of selfishness and selflessness, and the burden of grief. I wish this book had a more satisfying ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

melissamalicious's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

All the feelings! This one is a twisted retell of a Japanese folktale The Crane's Wife. A dark tale narrated by a weaver's daughter, this story is one filled with

This book reminds me of a dark fractured fairytale. The twists of the retell is conveying an old message, rather than a more modern one: "mothers fly away like migrating birds. And fathers die too young. This is why farmers have daughters. To keep things going in the meantime, until it’s our time to grow wings. Go soaring away across the sky.”  

The crane as an allegorical character is going to have me thinking about this story for a bit. The feathers shedding everywhere, suffocating and obscuring views, the talons taking over the past and damaging it, just whoa. The author presents this story to us and takes the outside world away. 

The crane as literal character is done visually, both beautiful and a bit of the grotesque that makes this an enjoyably dark read. The crane as a metaphoric character, whether representing abuse, or expectations of women, or freedom, 

I'm really looking forward to getting to discuss this a bit, specifically to what it means when a crane can represent different things. The author weaves this together into an evocative fable. It makes me want to read more of their work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail

annaavian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

In "The Crane Husband," Kelly Barnhill reimagines the traditional Japanese folktale "The Crane Wife" for a modern Western audience through a devastating dark fantasy that explores domestic violence, cycles of abuse, fear of abandonment, and the exploitation of women. While staying true to the core theme of the original folklore - the mistreatment of women by men - Barnhill introduces additional layers of complexity and insight. However, the protagonist does not alter the story's ending from tragic to uplifting. Despite the crane's demise, nothing is truly salvaged.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

arayo's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail