Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Het verhaal van Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

56 reviews

twocollins's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

In the weatherboard house at the end of the lane, nine-year-old Alice Hart sat at her desk by the window and dreamed of ways to set her father on fire...

What an opening line... This was a devastating tale of abuse & loss, trauma, betrayal and family secrets. The use of flowers as a language is a beautiful way of telling the stories where the words cannot be spoken.

I found this book compelling and moving...  But also found the ending unsatisfactory and rushed... I desperately wished for a more stronger and proactive (or more supported) resolution to Dylan...

At times the writing is beautiful, but other times a little disjointed. Some characters seem overdone in description with way too much extra information when their sole purpose was to be a vehicle to the next part of the story...

Ultimately I think I was still waiting for 'something to happen', some key action at the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

mollymoynott's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

Impeccable

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

taylorwitte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pregnancy

briemont5's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Infidelity

m_moonmama's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

rebelsroar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

jstilts's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

Beautifully written, I nevertheless found this book an absolute slog of a read. Terrible things happen to Alice throughout the book, which is heartbreaking, but terrible things fill the lives of the dozens of other characters as well to the point of ridiculousness. Everyone is damaged by death or abuse - even the most minor of characters - for instance a vet, who appears in a handful of paragraphs, has a dead wife and child on his mind. It's eye rolling and exhausting. A character we meet early on and only return to very late in the book has a child die at 5 because everyone needs a tragedy. Everyone has a story and every story is miserable.

Characters make the worst possible decisions at all times just to drive the grimness onwards and make Alice's life as miserable as possible. Her lov ng grandmother absolutely ruins Alice's life and the motivations are all incomprehensible beyond the author wanting their character to suffer.

Where I really gave up is when - SPOILER - Aluce falls ridiculously deeply and savagely in love literally at first sight with someone who of course turns out to be an abuser. I realise that it's not uncommon for victims of abusive families to find themselves with abusive partners but she didn't gravitate towards him, she didn't know the guy at all, so that's not what is happening here - it's just Alice Must Suffer!

Honestly, I wouldn't have finished this book if it wasn't chosen for a book club I'm hosting.

Utterly exhausting, which is a shame as it's beautifully written. One quirk is that most chapters feel like they could be the ending - at times it's like reading a collection of short stories that tell one narrative. I'd be tempted to try the author again so long as the subject matter is entirely different.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Deportation

beckyjmcc's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.0

Important subject matter in this story. The author has clearly put much effort and energy into writing about issues that I care deeply about.

... but I couldn't stand the writing. Almost DNF'd. Painful to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

imaginethisreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Stalking, Abandonment, and Deportation

alex_o_xx's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent