Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

17 reviews

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I had a lot of anticipation before reading this, and overall I found it very well written and well paced, albeit a lot more subtle than I was expecting. This is my first time reading Claire Keegan's work but I've since seen some reviews remarking that her other stuff is a lot darker than this, which intrigues me. 

The dialogue was particularly strong from the supporting townspeople, the opaqueness of which complemented the earnestness and pathos of the protagonist. I really got a good sense of his temperament, motivations and backstory, which is an achievement in a novella. 

I appreciated the economy of the writing and how it created an air of tension and mystery whilst providing enough exposition to keep you in the story. It made me hungry for more, which is the mark of a good writer, especially of shorter books. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gaslighting, and Vomit

vas_17's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Confinement, Death of parent, Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Bullying, Classism, and Grief

Minor: Vomit and Child death

rcsreads's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

I felt like this ended just as it was getting interesting. I also felt like the perspective of a middle class, white man was the least needed pov for a story about the mis-treatment of women and girls. 
 The writing is fairly basic, and the characters felt flat. The phrase "he released a breath he didn't realise he'd been  holding" was used, which is possibly the most cliche sentence in the history of literature!
 It was fine, I read it in an afternoon and it brings awareness about Magdalen laundries in a way your granny could read without being shocked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Trafficking, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Child death, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Grief, and Physical abuse

emmagreenwood's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Misogyny, and Slavery

sydapel's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

Devastating and impactful and full of heart in just 116 pages. This is a particularly good read in our current climate, solely as a reminder that this voice in our head telling us to speak up and act, even when it's more comfortable not to. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion

zotty's review

hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Forced institutionalization

katerinakr's review

dark reflective medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Vomit, Physical abuse, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Torture, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Death

snorteland's review

challenging informative 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Suicidal thoughts

fboschetti's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Child death

awaterswadesthrough's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Confinement

Minor: Death of parent, Misogyny, and Child death