Reviews tagging 'Death'

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton

20 reviews

risemini's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

fionamclary's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.5

This book is not outstanding and it does kind of explain the Message to you at the end, but it will scratch the itch for a classic, aesthetic tragedy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Vomit

kelsea's review against another edition

dark medium-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

3.25

This is trying very hard to be the Secret History but is nowhere close. Virginia is not compelling and it's hard to see what Laura, who is unbelievably naive and spineless, sees in her. The queer stuff is too enmeshed in religious themes/puritanism to be interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, and Alcohol

snowwpuppet's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual assault

Minor: War

monalyisha's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.75

Burton expertly creates atmosphere and tone in this tense novel, set in a co-ed, seaside, Catholic boarding school in New England. There’s desperation, longing, and cruelty in spades. It’s clear how easy it is to be swept up in a cult AND in young love, and how dangerous it is when power is so unequally distributed in each case. I’ll read more by this author; I’m almost more interested in her bio at the back than I am in her narrative! A doctorate in theology? A nonfic text called “Strange Rites”? Yes, please!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

andrewbop's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Confinement and War

ventenne's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

laura (the narrator) annoyed the shit out of me: she was blind, naïve, and a pushover on multiple fronts. i read the first few pages, then skipped to the last page and read the book backwards, section by section (i was reading an ebook). if i hadn’t done this, it would have been too irksome to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Suicide, and Vomit

owlribbon's review against another edition

dark 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.75

This dark and lyrical novel by theologian Tara Isabella Burton is told from the perspective of a naive, impressionable girl who, at the start of her junior year, transfers to the coastal boarding school featured in her favorite novel, which is reminiscent of A Separate Peace.  She is captivated by the chapel choir—especially by its hypnotizing leader and soprano, Virginia—and she is overjoyed to fall into favor with the exclusive group.  The singers, who also deify the novel and its alumnus author, are puppeteered by Virginia, whose obsession with gravity and piety leads her down a dangerous and surprising path.  Exploring sexuality, integrity, and idolization, this is a novel about wanting to become something one has read about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

The content warning for sexual violence is referring to sharing intimate videos without consent.