Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks

6 reviews

potassiumk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

april0686's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Self harm

ganieva's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gore, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Self harm

Minor: Sexual content and Toxic relationship

gail_dancer's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad 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

4.0

The beautiful prose of this timepieced novel caressed me as a welcome change from other recent modern novels I’d read. Anna was a complex and likeable lead character whose personal growth spanned large from start to finish. Some unexpected and rash circumstances near the end of the book disappointed me, but all in all  an enjoyable interesting read. The situation of how the village experienced and dealt with the Plague was eerily familiar post-Covid-19. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

s_mivsek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Drug use, Self harm, Excrement, and Murder

cptnstphy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Brooks' prose was gorgeous and brought the reader along as if they were right there in the village, such that it was like watching a film (if not for all the grisly and demonic details, I would want to see this film). Despite the reader knowing how the book would generally end (most villagers dead of the plague) she still manages to create suspense and craft a twist ending none could have predicted (in a dazzling, exciting, and satisfying way, in my opinion). The characters were well-crafted, some with unexpected nuance, although our hero was perhaps too Good and without many interesting flaws. Year of Wonders gripped me from beginning to end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape and Slavery