Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Auē by Becky Manawatu

10 reviews

judeeton's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I rate a lot of books highly but I think this may be the best book I ever read. Very sad but hopeful. So nuanced. A tale of generational trauma and forgiveness. I think I need to read it again to really absorb all of it. I couldn’t put it down at the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Vomit

Definitely a heavy book topic wise but well worth the read

liv_eleanor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

One of my all time favourite books. Auē is raw, tense, heartbreaking and also beautiful and hopeful. It weaves together themes of trauma and togetherness, heartbreak and love, family and identity with poetic prose and such a gorgeous grounding in the geography and culture of New Zealand. I have read it twice now and loved it more each time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

chelseyg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Car accident

sroberts2's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

Brutal, sad, the story of how life can make decisions for you

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

tadah's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Pregnancy

oliverwatson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Rape

cecereads__'s review against another edition

5.0

I loved this story so, so very much that I was sad to finish it. I read the last 100 pages in one go. I could not close the book and let it go. I had to stay with it and with them. I will be unable to let them go any time soon. 
I loved the Kiwi and te reo that lined the pages of this book.
I could not have asked for a better book to begin the year with.

I felt helpless as when reading about Stu in particular and wanting to actually end him. A fascinating experience to have such a visceral reaction. Sunset, Hash and Coon as well as the racist slurs making my blood boil too. I had to laugh out loud though when they were shouting while camping. And tearing up a little. It was beautifully written and deeply tragic at the same time. I love that the family came together in the end. Just as I am heartbroken for Beth and Tommy for losing their spark and each other (and themselves).

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

kiramke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

Very well-written but I found it challenging to read and often upsetting.  It's not that there's a lot of graphic violence, it's that the suffering is pervasive and the threat of something worse is always present.  For all that, it's a lovely hopeful book with good realism and complex characters that become really lovable.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse

Deals consistently with the effects of abuse and other issues on a child. Nothing is graphic but neither is it shied away from; it's not possible to skip sections as these are major themes, but they are dealt with respectfully and compassionately.

megansoetaert's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.75

:(((( this book was so emotional and vulnerable and i really loved it so much. i was able to read it more easily in the second half (once i finally got a hold of who was who lol & understood what was going on). also really glad to have read my first book by a Māori author!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Car accident

serendipitysbooks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

 Auē won awards for best debut and best fiction book at this year’s New Zealand book awards. I can see why. It wasn’t an easy read by any means covering topics such as gangs and domestic violence. Much of the story is told from the perspective of eight year old Ari and his friend Beth. Their childlike viewpoint was equal parts delightful in its naïveté and heartbreaking as they had to deal with the impact of adult violence. I also liked the dual timeline (Ari and his brother Taukiri in the present; Jade and Toko in the past) since it highlighted the intergenerational impacts of abuse and trauma. I appreciated the fact that the timelines didn’t come together quite as smoothly as I had thought they would, highlighting both the complexity of life and the important role of whanau. The ending left me in two minds. On the one hand I felt it all came together too quickly and conveniently but I did really like the fact that it ended on a note of hope rather than despair. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence