Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

29 reviews

celery's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alyssatuininga's review against another edition

dark informative sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I have had this book for years and never got around to reading it. The story was all over the place- a sweet story of memories from an old man, a scathing story about the rampant (graphic) animal abuse in a circus, a romance,  a sad testament to the dangers of Prohibition for alcoholics. Honestly throw in the super raunchy prostitution and rape of the main character and I didn't know what to feel or think. It was a strange book, the ending wrapped up in a neat sweet bow. Overall it was just ok and I kept finding I didn't want to pick it up. Guess I should have left this one on the shelf.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent

kat_rowlen's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A really entertaining and fun read that sheds some light on the darker aspects of circus life. The ending of this book is really sweet and honestly had me holding back tears. The pacing of the book was a little off in some spots or it would’ve been a higher rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Classism

kes7706's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infidelity, Antisemitism, and Pregnancy

smithalexis035's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I didn’t understand the hype around this book at all. I could not wait to finish it and it took me so long! The descriptions of animal abuse really bothered me and there were some really strange sexual things mentioned. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

nellzzzz's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual assault, Blood, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Alcohol

oujo_umi's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

I saw the broadway musical first which I really enjoyed and decided to read the book when I found out the show was based off it. It was a  fun story with a satisfying ending.

For the most part everyone felt staticly “good” or “bad” without much development. As someone who typically is drawn to stories for the characters, I didn’t really connect. However the plot’s momentum toward the disaster teased in the first chapter was exciting enough to make up for that. I enjoyed how I could get pulled into the circus from the detailed descriptions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Alcoholism and Terminal illness

rubyslippers96's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, and Death of parent

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bmpicc's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

The prologue was incredible and I was sucked in from the very beginning. The characters, the train, the circus itself. Gruen didn't just tell me a story. She wrote in a way that allowed me to visualize everything. No spoilers, but I do have to say this. I love Rosie.

Side note: I am finding that I greatly appreciate well-written animals as main characters.

"Nothing happens to me anymore. That's the reality of getting old, and I guess that's really the crux of the matter. I'm not ready to be old yet." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent