Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Le Grand Livre by Connie Willis

28 reviews

katjacatbeans's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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? No

5.0

The story craft of this book is impeccable. It's a real masterclass in plot building & character development. The prose & dialog are equally good - though I'm pretty sure that '"Yes," said Dunworthy' appears at least 100 times (it fits his character) - and it's heart-rending in all the right places.  

There are certainly some grotesque descriptions of illness, but it's not overwrought and is balanced between portraying the reality of the character's experience & sparing the reader. 

The text lives up to its title. It's bleak, and sad. The direness is broken up by having 2 storyline ( 1 in each century) and by Finch's comic relief. Finch is so important because this book is prescient; having just lived through COVID, it's absolutely wild to read that an author in 1992 would so accurately project a lot of the attitudes and difficulties of 2020. Human behavior doesn't really change that much, i guess. All she had to do was look back at the 1918 epidemic & update it a bit for modern elements (like faster turnaround on vaccines). Even the brief mention of "the Canadian Goose Flu of 2010" in the book is utterly wild because there WAS an outbreak of avian flu from December 2010-May 2011. Surely that was just happenstance but with everything else she got right, it's eerie. 

I really, really appreciate how well the medical stuff is researched (I've listened to a LOT of This Podcast Will Kill You and can verify that the book text lines up with the info in the episodes on cholera, typhoid, etc) and how determined the characters are to help care for each other. It's one of the few hopeful bright spots.

All in all, even though this is a 26hr audiobook, I'm sad to be finished with it. I wish it was longer; an epilogue would do my heart a lot of good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death and Grief

philosopher_kj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, and Medical content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cursing, Rape, and Alcohol

pocketbook's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I read this in middle or high school the first time around, and I didn’t remember the parts that took place in the “present time.” I remember being so gutted by

Father Roche’s death

and that I enjoyed this book, but not too many specifics beyond that. I’m so happy I revisited this one. Rerated because this will be staying with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Classism

Minor: Suicide

dananana's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

There is something incredibly breathtaking about reading a long, slow-build, incredibly detailed book such as this one. You spend so much time in the world that you begin to feel like you were there too. And in a way I WAS in the 1300s with Kivrin, with Mr Dunworthy as he tried to reach her from 2054. These characters are going to stay in my mind and heart forever and I feel so lucky to have read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Blood

iris_garden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Antisemitism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

fahyhallowell's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

Fascinating to read this tale of two epidemics in the midst of our current pandemic. Many elements ring true such as conspiracy theorists popping up. Aside from time travel, the technology is comiclly antique - phones had video screens but that's about it. I appreciated the classic British humor in the present as a break from the grimness of the past. 100% recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Classism

speasyspice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Blood, and Vomit

silentquercus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Suicide, and Alcohol

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'Doomsday Book' by Connie Willis is a great time travel novel that utilizes empathetic characters and dual timelines to great effect. 
When Kivrin heads back to the Middle Ages using Oxford's time travel technology, she is in for a bit of a shock. Despite studying the time period and getting her necessary injections, the Middle Ages are far different than she expected. As she learns more about where she has landed and gets close to a family in the local town, her professors back in near future Oxford are dealing with their own issues that may effect their ability to retrieve Kivrin from the past. 
Willis continues to impress with her stories. She injects just enough technology into the real world to heighten interest, builds a thought provoking and engaging plot out of these elements, and then sets a full cast of characters into this world. One of the strong points of this novel is the dual timelines. Hundreds of years apart but deeply connected, we follow both Kivrin and her professor Mr. Dunworthy as they deal with their own set of problems. Since these problems directly impact the ability for Kivrin to return home to nearfuture Oxford, the timelines are intimately connected and as tension ramps up in one, it impacts your view of the other timeline as well.
The other really standout point of this novel are the characters. Kivrin's blend of frustration and fascination as she visits the Middle Ages and connects with the children of the family who take her in, make her well-rounded and easily relatable. Mr. Dunworthy's deep care for Kivrin and focus on getting her home safe no matter what, makes him a great central character for the near future Oxford timeline. Paired with the supporting characters that fluctuate between frustrating, caring, and obtuse, Willis creates a world that feels fully inhabited. 
I will continue to seek more of Willis' work. If you are looking for a great time travel story with engaging tension and empathetic characters, you need to read 'Doomsday Book.' 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Medical trauma

mirificmoxie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child death, Blood, Vomit, and Grief

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Blood