Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

15 reviews

alexijai98's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

The only things keeping me from giving this a smooth 2 stars are the beauty of the language in this book and the overall concept. I initially thought the mass extinction plot line wasn’t focused enough for me, but I did appreciate the underlying nature of it - species are dying at a rate where the people in this book can’t think about it all the time. Aside from the pretty language and the dystopian backdrop this book was simply not for me. The narrator is insufferable in a way that I can’t put my finger on. I think it’s the “life is so hard but I’m sooo flighty hehe” nature of it all. Also I could see the “twist” at the end coming from 700 miles away. Not a bad book, but definitely not worth the hype I personally saw about it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Death, Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

mconroy9137's review against another edition

adventurous reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Murder, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Suicide, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

c_serpent's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

Charlotte McConaghy, how your books BREAK me.

Review to come.

Total score: 5/5 stars

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Suicide, and Car accident

Moderate: Miscarriage, Confinement, and Panic attacks/disorders

kates_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious medium-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

4.0

While I didn’t love this as much as ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES, it was a very interesting book with lots of genre bending elements. Again, the authors commentary of the environment and conservation were my favorite. 

The characters were so unique and original, while still being realistic. The tension between Franny and the fisherman was beautifully written — as she actually gets to know these characters, her once firm convictions become less black and white. I think the author  captured the complexities and nuances of humanity. No one is all good or all evil; we are all just trying to get through it and find some beauty along the way.  

Franny’s life is full of trauma and most of the book immerses the reader in her depression. Yet the story ends with hope, which I believe is what the authors wants us to take away. The world can be cruel and we need to be help accountable for the harm we have caused it, but we must not lose hope for if we do we won’t work towards making it better. 

The non-linear timeline of the novel was interesting and made it feel more mysterious. However, the revelation was a bit anticlimactic. 

Overall, the story made you feel the darkness but it was a thought-provoking and tender read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Miscarriage, Murder, and Sexual assault

jess_segraves's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Loved the shorter, alternating chapters going back in time to give us context and clues, and I felt much more invested getting to part 2. However, most of the characters' actions and motivations made no sense to me, even if we assume a suspended dystopian future and Franny's generational trauma.

I guess in the end it felt too much nature, and falling into tendencies or expectations without processing them until it was too late.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide attempt

sebs_gaybooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

Are the flaws of the main character a main focus of the book?
mmmm, well you could say that *flash through of all Franny's questionable decisions fueled by her immense trauma*

It's been a bit of a cold period in terms of my heart being truly shattered by a book. I haven't had the soul-crushing emotions that come from a devastating read, and I was beginning to think I'd become to tough; not to fret, I do indeed still have some semblance of a heart. And this book reminded me of that fragment I do have left.

god, this book. Migrations, you son of a bitch, how DARE YOU make me feel so many things. It's a rough journey, so if any of the content warnings are triggering, please take heed when reading this. Especially

car accidents, death of loved ones, suicide, and abandonment

.  Plot wise, it does jump around a lot, and I did see from other reviews that it bothered some people, but I personally think the way McConaghy wove it all through so delicately, pieces fell into place so seamlessly. I hesitate to use the words "reveal" as that might indicate towards a  "thriller mystery" sort of book which this is not. Don't come into this thinking the mystery of it all will be a shocking twist. It is and it isn't. The information that's given isn't really, in my opinion, trying to be like a thriller where it's keeping you on your toes with suspense. It's the way we, as the reader, become more and more understanding and increasingly stressed for Franny. And it is shocking. But not in a way that makes you gasp with glee. It's painfully human and real. 

This futuristic dystopian-like world McConaghy created is honestly more terrifying then the most AI centered ones of past and recent. The idea of nearly ALL of wildlife going extinct, it's horrific. And not just because it feels so likely for our current world. The way she writes about silent forests, beaches with no seagulls and the magic of finding a cave with terns nesting. It's the conversations around conservation, but only of species that have a direct positive impact and desirability for humans. That sort of 'environmental savior' purely for the benefit of our own species. 

Franny's desperate fight to see the terns, something that changes meaning with every chapter. And when we get to the end and see the birds, and we know what this means, it was just so hard to read. I have never been one to throw books across rooms with rage or intense passion, mostly because my books comes from the library, but I did gently nudge this book off my bed. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Car accident, Blood, Death, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Confinement, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Miscarriage, and Child death

amberinbookland's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Death, Rape, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Grief, Confinement, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Car accident, Blood, Miscarriage, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Death of parent, and Animal death

lilifane's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

What a beautiful book. I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with it.

Set in a probably not so far future where climate change has caused 80% of the earth’s animals to go extinct. The last flock of Arctic Terns is about to undertake its last migration from the Arctic to Antarctica, and Franny wants to follow them. We follow Franny on her journey and get flashbacks to her life so far occasionally. 

Although Franny is not always the most likeable character, I was really immersed in her story. I always wanted to know what happens next or what happened in her past. Although it’s a very slow-paced plot, it never gets boring. The writing is beautiful, melancholic and atmospheric (it was hot outside, but I was freezing with the characters). I love how the title and the story go together, and just the structure of the plot. (Which is technically non-linear, but there are so many parallels.) The plot is not always the most believable or logical, and the characters make some questionable decisions along the way. But the plot isn’t the most important part of the book anyways in my opinion. Also, it’s a sad and depressing story, but there is hope.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit

kelleywithanextrae's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective relaxing 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Pregnancy, Child death, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Cursing, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

ekmook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, Car accident, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt