Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

34 reviews

aliciagriggs's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

A beautiful novel on the whole- a little mesmerising and sad at times. I enjoyed reading about life in Alaska and the description of the place immersed me. It's enjoyable to read on a cold, winters day, as you feel somehow closer to the novel because of this.
What I didn't enjoy was the copious amounts of animal killing and hunting. I skipped most parts, but there is an awful lot of it throughout, which does detract from the enjoyment. As a vegan, this is a tough book to read, so skipping it was necessary for me to continue with the book. I was warned not to read this book because of this element, but I'm glad I did because everything else about the novel is brilliant. I loved the setting, as I say, and I liked all the characters, which is rare in a book I think. Esther is probably my favourite, but I did like Mabel and Jack too. 
I was thankful that the author didn't put in a nasty character for the sake of it, but rather concentrated on relationships and character development. A beautiful, poignant story, with sadness and raw emotion throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcoholism

el_doodareno's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol

maya_vee's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.5

Lovely writing, characterization, setting, and there’s so much depth to the characters even though the story is simple. I loved the descriptions of Alaska and homesteading in the 1920s, and the way Jack and Mabel struggle and adapt to their new home. I’m not sure the way Faina evolves with the passage of time made as much sense to me as the ways Jack and Mabel grow and evolve, but that’s just my impression right after finishing. I’ll sit with it and see if it comes together a bit more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism

ssummar's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pregnancy

hoodsicle's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

The Snow Child is an intimate and intricately tale of grief, of belonging, and of the varying notions of family. Inspired by its namesake in the Russian fairytale, the novel seamlessly blends fantastical ideas with extremely human circumstance, all while providing the reader in-and-out with a close-up look at the Alaskan landscape and lifestyle. While it felt a little unevenly paced, especially at the back half of the book, the story certainly is gripping and inviting to any reader who gives Jack and Mabel a place in their heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal death

Minor: Child death and Grief

juliej0715's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.75

This was a wonderful book. I was surprised by how much I loved it even more as it went on. Emotional, being in a new place, dealing with grief, the hope of magic and a new life. Overall it's wonderful. I don't have a great reason to not give it 5 stars, maybe because I don't want to shout it from the mountains that it should be required reading for everyone, but I really don't have any criticisms. It turns out to be quite a beautiful story in the end. The author does a wonderful job describing the Alaskan wilderness and the beauty of nature. You hope and wish for all these characters' happiness and peace. Magical and mysterious and overall a wonderful lovely joy.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

regnistegra's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

madisonpearl's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Miscarriage

Moderate: Infertility and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism and Suicidal thoughts

sopopia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

lostinthelibrary's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This is one of the those hyped books that I never got around to reading at the peak of the hype. I can see why it is loved by many. It is beautifully written and really captures the fairytale essence. Unfortunately, I never fully connected with the characters and found the plot to be somewhat plodding. I think this would have been better as a short story. It was enjoyable nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Pregnancy