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bytheriver's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
qi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i appreciate how well plotted the story line seemed to be. everything made sense together and donald ray pollock didn't feel the need to throw out a random, nonsensical twist in the name of shock value. although the means that i had a pretty strong hunch about where the story would be going it still was able to shock me due to the writing and how he depicts such scenes.
the writing was gritty and blunt which i love. some of these scenes are written in such a matter-of-fact way which just leaves you feeling like you like D:
the characters were well written and felt very dynamic. even "bad" characters *cough cough arvin* i still felt like rooting for and you are just left with mixed emotions.
part five was definitely the part where i had the biggest emotional reactions to the text, i am reluctant to say my favourite part because yikes. if you are looking for some small town, gritty horror i would highly recommend but dO LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNINGS!
as you can tell by this spotty review i don't know how to formulate my thoughts properly. so, great way to nurse the morning after my second dose of the vaccine.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, and Racial slurs
atgcbooks23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder
cmarks's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
sphealrical's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Transphobia and Abortion
anniehall's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Cancer, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy
kylajaynebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
zoewrath's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Vomit, and Abortion
wibney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
osehernand's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ahora, hay un par de cosas que me resultaron incómodas.
- La mirada racista. Me inclino a pensar que se debe a la época en la que se desarrolla la obra, aún así es difícil digerir esas ideas.
- Misoginia y machismo. Hay dos tipos de mujeres en esta historia: las madres de familia y las putas. Las madres de familia son respetables y, en rara ocasión, se hace algún comentario despectivo o malicioso hacia ellas. En cambio, las otras mujeres, las putas, las zorras, las prostitutas, las que engañan a sus maridos (tal como la mujer del abogado Dunlap) no reciben más que descripciones obscenas y desagradables, son vistas como meros objetos para satisfacer y servir al género masculino y no puedo, simplemente, pasarlo por alto.
- Las escenas de violación y pedofilia. En especial, una escena donde Carl vende a su esposa, Sandy, con unos hombres para filmar una película pornográfica. También las partes donde se describe cómo piensa el reverendo Preston Teagardin y cómo se aprovecha de la inocencia de jovencitas para conseguir quitarles la virginidad y acostarse con ellas hasta aburrirse o encontrar a otra chica “más apetecible”.
Los personajes están constituidos y desarrollados para que causen desagrado, asco e incomodidad, en especial los masculinos; el único que puede salvarse es Arvin Russell. La manera en que el autor consigue hilar las historias de todos los personajes, de tal manera que sus vidas terminan entrecruzándose, de una forma u otra, está muy bien llevado. No se siente forzado, ni sobra ningún elemento. Todo está conectado y bien ejecutado.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Rape