Reviews tagging 'Violence'

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

11 reviews

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

NYT Notable Books 2023: 21/100

This book was at that awkward length between novella and novel. I find that books that hover around this length can feel really unbalanced, and unfortunately this was the case for this book. In the first part, it felt like there was no plot, just a long explanation of who was who and how we got to this point. Then, everything happened in the last 50 pages which meant that that first half dragged and the second half happened so quickly that it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The idea was cool but beyond the idea it felt like there wasn't much to the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Incest, and Racism

Moderate: Death and Violence

Minor: Pregnancy

faitheve's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

The best book I’ve read this year, amazingly well written and such a good thought piece which can link easily to todays communities and their divides

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation

lindsaylitlover's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, Rape, and Violence

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, and Classism

Minor: Incest

seventhswan's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This Other Eden is heartbreakingly bleak almost from start to finish; honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I knew just how *sad* it was going to be. From the first few pages, I felt afraid for the characters as they were introduced, knowing from the blurb and the true story this is based on that a distressing ending was inevitable. And I so quickly grew to love the characters - my initial worries that there would be too many to keep track of were unfounded. Esther in particular was so compelling and I could have read an entire book just about her.

I don't know how to describe how affecting this story was, or how well-written. It doesn't rely on graphic descriptions of any of the horrors that befall the inhabitants of Apple Island, but the way they are alluded to and couched in figurative language is somehow worse. I can't not recommend this book, but it isn't one I expect to want to return to for a very long time.

Audrey Magee's The Colony on steroids, or perhaps tranquillisers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Incest, and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Rape, and Violence

ebpertner's review against another edition

dark emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

kk_gotit_goinon's review against another edition

dark emotional informative slow-paced

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

2.0

 Nothing happens in this book. I feel that there's no nuance or anything deeper. It just is what it is. The eugenics parts can be interesting if you know the history and the details of it,  but I don't think you'll get it if you haven't heard of it/don't have a science background where you learned a lot about it. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, I felt bad for them but I didn't fall in love either. It's a quick listen at least. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

kathycz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

This is the best book I've read in the last couple of years. Gorgeously written without being pretentious, based on historical fact but imaginatively rendered, rich in character with a plot that moves without taking over. I read Paul Harding's Tinkers and liked it fine, but This Other Eden is a gem. When I finished, I was ready to turn around and start over again, just to pay attention to how Harding does it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Incest and Racism

brynpemery's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Deportation

Moderate: Child death, Murder, and Pregnancy

r_o_s_e's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Racism, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, and Pregnancy