Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

7 reviews

dystopia's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Stalking

Minor: Animal cruelty and Sexual assault

elzbethmrgn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cannibalism, Child death, and Murder

carax561's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Cannibalism, Excrement, Blood, Abandonment, and Medical content

hmatt's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Lauren Groff's prose, as always, is viscerally descriptive and beautiful. This is such an interesting follow-up in juxtaposition to Matrix, as well: The main characters are both Christian women who are both, in a sense, left to fend for themselves in a remote place, but they are very, very, different.

I am a person who likes books that don't have a whole lot of plot, so I was fine with that aspect - but beware if you're not. There are some introspections the girl had that feel a bit too on-the-nose for me (i.e. a bit too "woke", lol), but otherwise I found this a fun, short, atmospheric read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Child abuse, Confinement, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Death, Gore, Ableism, Terminal illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Vomit

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Death of parent

elficus's review

adventurous challenging dark sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Ableism, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Murder, Rape, Vomit, and Excrement

ninjamuse's review

challenging dark fast-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Child death

Moderate: Rape, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

sineadherself's review

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Plot: It is a book in which both nothing and all life happens. That is to say it is a book about survival. Ostensibly it is about surviving the wild but as the reader journeys through with the main character we learn that survival has been at the centre of her life since birth; it is the only work she has ever had.

Character: Ninety percent of the story we are with the main character, Zed. Though throughout other people from her past and present are described.

Reading Experience: This is a writer's book, not a reader's. You can see the writer enjoying herself on the page, which in itself is a lovely thing. But ultimately, it becomes a slog for the reader to stay the course with her.

Overall: A solid piece of work by a talented writer.

Stars: 3.5⭐

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Excrement, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Death, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Child death, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

If you are weak of stomach this book will be a test. Surviving the wilds is not easy and is very often disgusting. There are also some scenes that are genuinely disturbing. Also, the language which is used to describe "the child Bess" is repeatedly ablest and dehumanising. I tried to keep my mind open as I read the book but I came away at the end not understanding why that choice was made - it didn't reflect the opinion of the main character, for example. So it comes off more that it is a sloppy, ignorant take by the author. But that doesn't feel right either as that wouldn't have been my impression of her before. Whatever it was, read with caution.