Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

21 reviews

wad3mil3sgarru2's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, and Suicide

kubs's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

Okonkwo is interesting. The plot demands he change but he literally cannot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and Religious bigotry

mt1213's review against another edition

informative reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation

chanatova's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence

ashar_allaire's review against another edition

challenging informative sad fast-paced

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

4.75

This is stunning writing. The more I think about this book the more my rating goes up. We follow a deeply unsympathetic man to his eventual undoing, which should feel deserved but that clean cut ending, that want to think each person is solely responsible for their own destruction, that this would not have happened if not for his own actions and unwavering ego, is ripped away by the pure evil that brought about that undoing. This happened to everyone regardless of how they lived their lives, it could not have been prevented so it can't feel deserved. You are left in deep mourning for all the characters surrounding him, instead of feeling justice for them. You feel the tragedy of all those he hurt happen along with him. There's triumph in most stories when the person who caused those around him pain is "defeated," but these characters are not safer or happier now in any way. They get the same, if not a worse fate. Nothing about this is fair. You feel the loss of control. You feel the fear of destruction. The loss of family. I do feel the author set up themes that were left largely unexplored, especially when it comes to sexism, which got briefly touched upon and then abandoned. I find myself wanting more, which is what keeps this from being a 5 star, but damn, incredible book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Slavery, Suicide, and War

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

Things Fall Apart is fiction but truly read like nonfiction at times, in a good way. I felt like all the characters were real and that made me feel even more for them as the story went on. Okonkwo is a complex character, a strong-willed man, proud of his heritage, and willing to do anything to protect all he cares about. The ending saddened me deeply, I have no words for that but I will say that it will stay with me for a long time.

I highly recommend, do take care and check content warnings though, not an easy read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

clare072's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

This book has a lot of casual sexism but aside from that, the writing style was gripping, the plot points interesting, the plot progression heartbreaking, and it was a real page-turner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

eleek0609's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

jesus_wept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation