Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

204 reviews

tatianasergent's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

jcqln112's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Gore, Murder, and War

Minor: Pregnancy

jesophie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Blood, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Pregnancy and War

waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This a great book. And a long book like this comes with a lengthy review! Despite its length, though,  it’s a quick read. I found myself unable to put it down for very long, which is saying something because I’m a slow reader. Now, for my thoughts on the story...

The novel takes place in the 1970s, but you need not worry about unfamiliar settings and references because Hannah makes the world around the Allbright family both richly detailed and extremely accessible.

The main character, Leni, is beautifully written. It’s so rare for an author to get a child/teen’s voice right, but Hannah nails it. Leni is thoughtful, intelligent, and sensitive; she’s a whole person. And we see her struggle and grow up in a turbulent family within a small community in a remote part of Alaska.

Though this story features many forms of abuse and domestic violence, Hannah uses a sensitive hand in the writing of it. It is believable and heart-breaking to watch Leni and her mother, Cora, both suffer at the hands of Ernt, their father and husband respectively. I love that the rest of the townsfolk stand up to Ernt and call out his behavior. I’m so used to media that features only hand-wringing bystanders. I love seeing people fighting back on behalf of Leni and Cora.

The (too many) twists of fate in the last third are terribly hard to read, partly because they’re so excruciating and partly because they require a lot of suspended disbelief. I would argue that the events in the last third take the plot outside the realm of what I see as plausible, especially considering the first two-thirds is written like a “slice of life” story.

I believe that making

Matthew and Leni fall off the cliff and making Matthew completely brain-dead after finally successfully escaping Ernt

was overkill. The

pregnancy

plot line did not need to be exacerbated by

Matthew’s accident when the pregnancy is huge enough as it is

. Also, while I’m happy that

Cora kills Ernt, which Leni helps cover up,

it is more than my suspended disbelief can handle. And don’t get me started on

Leni’s confession scene at the police station

. I almost said, “Oh, brother” out loud. Like, come on...

My rating on the first 66.6% of the book is 4 out of 5, but it just goes off the rails in the final 33.3%. These out-there events that feel forced/crammed in is what ultimately made me decide to rate this novel a 3.5 out of 5. 

It’s a weird book, but it’s packed with action and heartache in a captivating, soap opera kind of way. You can’t help but feel for the characters, even if some of the events are quite farfetched. I can’t help but want what is best Leni, and that is my litmus test for what makes for a good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

marycage's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit and War

Minor: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

awderrick's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

zetiacg's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, and Pregnancy

mcplank's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

3.0

The development of the personal relationships, especially the love of mother and child, is so moving in this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, Grief, and Death of parent

_julesreads_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The Great Alone is a book about love, family, heartbreak, forgiveness. It is painfully raw and doesn't hold back. I cried quite a few times and could see bits of the characters' stories through out my own life story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder