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patriciamadariaga's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Suicide
ameliasbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
Review to come
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Classism
booksillremember's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I appreciate the complexity of Emerence's character and the courage it takes to write such deeply traumatised, flawed and unlikeable female characters. Unfortunately, getting through this novel was a chore. Especially the first half is full of repetition. Both the narrator and Emerence are constantly enraged. Rage, pettiness and temper tantrums seem the default reaction to any little thing. Everyone in this novel has the emotional self-regulation and communication skills of a toddler. Except they are adults, so their 'toxic love' is somehow a combination of heroic acts of kindness spiced with constant emotional, verbal and animal abuse. This novel spans 20 years, nobody seems to grow an inch. I don't need all my characters to be likeable, I actually like cantankerous old characters, but it was a bit much. Would have DNFed if it hadn't been for a book club.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
andrewhatesham's review against another edition
Soft DNF. I swear I'll come back to this, because I see potential, I just don't have the patience for it right now. Nothing against the book at all, it's just me, I'm in the mood for something more fast paced!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
dizzzybrook's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, and Grief
sandro_reads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
The Door reads like a fable of sorts - a tale of the growing friendship between a writer, Magda, and her almost mythical housekeeper, Emerence.
It’s a challenging relationship filled with literal and figurative doors that will confound and haunt.
It’s a challenging relationship filled with literal and figurative doors that will confound and haunt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
rhdj's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“The old woman was interested only in giving, and if anyone tried to surprise her with something, she never smiled, she flew into a rage.”
I don't really know what to say about this book. The blurb on my edition had me expecting a Slavic version of Rebecca, Gothic vibes and all. It may have been what I wanted to read but this isn't that type of story. It's certainly dark and unsettling though which, coupled with the narrator's bouts of hysteria and Emerence’s rages and random acts of cruelty, made for very difficult reading.
This character-driven book deals with sensitive issues such as acceptance, trust and dignity. Unfortunately, I didn't find either of the characters to be particularly likeable and this marred my enjoyment while reading it. I never felt keen to pick it back up and heaved a huge sigh of relief when it was over. That's not to say it was badly written. I just couldn't deal with the overwhelming feeling of despair that this book seemed to arouse in me.
“Everything has to be done properly, even death.”
I don't really know what to say about this book. The blurb on my edition had me expecting a Slavic version of Rebecca, Gothic vibes and all. It may have been what I wanted to read but this isn't that type of story. It's certainly dark and unsettling though which, coupled with the narrator's bouts of hysteria and Emerence’s rages and random acts of cruelty, made for very difficult reading.
This character-driven book deals with sensitive issues such as acceptance, trust and dignity. Unfortunately, I didn't find either of the characters to be particularly likeable and this marred my enjoyment while reading it. I never felt keen to pick it back up and heaved a huge sigh of relief when it was over. That's not to say it was badly written. I just couldn't deal with the overwhelming feeling of despair that this book seemed to arouse in me.
“Everything has to be done properly, even death.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Death
mondovertigo'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? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty and War
Minor: Genocide and Religious bigotry
aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Excrement
Moderate: Medical content