Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

42 reviews

gafforama's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Classism

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

qarina's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death and Abandonment

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

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

meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, 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

spektriva's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I expected this to be an impactful read from what I'd heard about but it still surprised me with how much it touched me.

The crane and magical realism employed are an excellent tool to explore abuse and the cycles that perpetuate it, as well as how strong of an impact this has on children that witness it, even if they are not direct victims of it themselves. Beyond this, I was even more affected by how the story also has an honest look into how putting undue responsibility on the shoulders of a child robs them of their childhood and stunts their emotional growth. And though you feel so much frustration and resentment towards the mother, you also can't help but empathize and pity her as a victim of her history and patterns of behavior. 

The writing is gorgeous and evocative, particularly when describing the mother and her art, as well as the late father, with plainer but brutal language used when touching on the abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death

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

cmklaft's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail