Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

El viento conoce mi nombre by Isabel Allende, Isabel Allende

4 reviews

flowerrunner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I read this book in Spanish and found it to be a page turner at the same time as it feeling tedious in parts. 

I think the issue could be that somewhere between 60 and 80 percent it feels very drawn out, followed by a hastier end.

It feels a little odd to draw parallels between the holocaust and the situation at the Mexican border, but this may be because I'm Austrian and pretty traumatized by what happened in my country of birth (I have lived in North America for decades now.). The way these two stories met at the end just didn't seem important enough to base a whole book on its premise.

Overall, the book is very engaging, and I'd recommend it - I enjoyed the character driven approach. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Car accident, Child abuse, War, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, Body horror, Deportation, Domestic abuse, and Genocide

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Minor: Fatphobia, Dementia, Excrement, Medical content, Vomit, Alcohol, and Body shaming

katypicken's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this more than I did. it's a compelling and important story, but I never felt close to any of the characters, although I did sympathise with them. I think it was the style of writing - very much "telling" rather than "showing". I don't remember feeling that about any of Allende's other books - I wonder if the fact this is a translation makes a difference?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Deportation

Moderate: Racism, Murder, and Gun violence

Minor: Car accident

marla_arguelles's review

dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Deportation, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Genocide, Racism, and Violence

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Murder, Deportation, Genocide, Gun violence, Sexism, Xenophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Grief, Bullying, Classism, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Confinement, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Child death, Child abuse, and Stalking

Minor: Vomit