Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Stranger, by Albert Camus

14 reviews

tungstenmouse's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

 During part 1, I wondered why people see this book as so important. Part 2 answered that question and really made me think. I was prepared to give this 3 stars or less but the second half as well as the perspectives from the translator and the scholars in notes at the end of the book really helped bring up my rating. This was definitely worth the listen for the ideas it presents.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Vomit, Sexism, Racism, Police brutality, Infidelity, and Sexual content

thebookdaddy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Gun violence, Alcohol, Medical content, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Murder, and Domestic abuse

h0neybear's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Wouldn’t expect a book like this to be so damn entertaining but it really is. Mersault’s narration is interesting and at times funny and it certainly keeps a reader hooked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content

smthngrandom's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

This is the first Albert Camus book I’ve ever read so I’m unfamiliar with his philosophy. I think that this stopped me from understanding the nuance in this book.

I enjoyed the general dreamlike vibe of the book, and found the second half with the trial particularly compelling, especially his outburst at the end. 

I think I’ll have to reread this if I read more of Camus’s work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Alcohol

Minor: Islamophobia

eliever's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

the myth of sisyphus is better idk

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Sexual content, Animal death, Misogyny, and Alcohol

madmichele's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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

3.0

(possible spoilers?)

quick read; it was an okay book - I was somewhat invested and was very curious to know what happened at the end and once the protagonist left the funeral, I had much more interest in the story. the protagonist, though, is such a vile human being. being neutral in the face of familial death, murder, domestic abuse, animal abuse, generalized violence (and so on)… a disgusting man, truly. so was his ‘pal’. the philosophical content was good, but god was that man insufferable. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, Racism, and Misogyny

utsuro's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

extremely good, i'm probably gonna read some of the author's other stuff now

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol

cutepatzie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

It's a very surprising book. It shows how perspective can change every faith. I was so surprised by how much I like this book. Amazing description of places. Very reflective book. Love how much your perspective change from the beginning to the end of the book. Solid read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Rape, and Sexism

house_of_hannah's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-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

I appreciate how simply this is written. It suited the main character's train of thought, and how surface level he is. However, Meursault is quite a boring person. I read several analyses of this novella, and all of them discuss how Meursault lives an absurdist life, yet he goes along with what the people around him are doing, which feels like a mask to appear more "normal". I don't believe his friends and girlfriend would have liked him as much if he didn't follow along their every whim like he did. To me he just seemed like a detached person who is simply floating through life. 

Spoiler

The court room scene....I could not stand how much his mother was brought up here. Putting her somewhere she can be happy is bad ? Wtf ? Apparently people aren't allowed to grieve differently either. Since he wasn't crying he was obviously planning murder instead, right !? It was such a stretch, and really reminded me how in high profile true crime cases pictures of the suspect at the funeral of the victim(s) are always analyzed to death. I know this scene was supposed to be a bit ridiculous, but man did it get me.

I feel like this absurdism that everyone is talking about truly shows up in the second half of the story during the trial. The prosecutor has a certain view of Meursault, and then forces the narrative to support it. This is something that happens in real cases all the time, and is how innocent people end up incarcerated, so it actually felt quite "true to life". However, the difference here is that Meursault is guilty regardless, and it's more his character that is being judged than anything. 

I think this second half is where the story really shines. Being judged on the perception of who you are, without being able to defend yourself, is terrifying. Meursault's indifference to the world ended up being his downfall, with the one instance of him acting on his own being the trigger. I know Philosphy is the main subject brought up in discussions of this book, but I'm more interested in the Psychology. 

After finishing this novella I went down the Wikipedia rabbit hole about the Algerian War, and learned more about the dark side of French history. I definitely thank this book for that, as it's not a subject I really knew anything about. Overall, I did enjoy reading this story, but I feel I'm just not intellectual enough to truly understand it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Grief

jana16's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gun violence, Murder, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Islamophobia, and Misogyny