Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy

7 reviews

mondovertigo's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer and Rape

Minor: Death, Abortion, and Murder

cadimy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

marissanbullis's review

emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

siobhan28's review

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I enjoyed some of these short stories, others I found the pacing all over the place and were difficult to read. Most stories had really complex women as main characters which was nice to read however most of them were sadder stories  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, and Abortion

hannahbailey's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-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

2.0

An interesting if bleak short-story collection. Not one for those looking to escape the misery of normal life as every story is a mirror to the woes of humanity. Might appeal to those wanting to read more Irish literature.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free e arc in exchange for an honest review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

lianne_rooney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

becca_thegrimreader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

A wonderful collection of short stories, each one more than capable of standing on their own. I found them to be utterly magical, with a mystical quality that captivated me from the very beginning. Many of the stories have elements of Irish folklore, nature, or our countries' past with themes such as alcoholism, depression, and grief being explored. 

In "The End of the World is a Cul de Sac" we learn of a woman who has been abandoned by her property developer husband in the ghost estate he funded. While in "Wolf Point" (one of my personal favourites) a father looks after his daughter while his wife is suffering from depression. These stories focus more on the harsh and bleak realities of life. A spellbinding collection that I would recommend anyone to read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy