Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

20 reviews

paw2904's review

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

Excellent. Lehane at his best. S

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Murder

sabripolin's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

My first audio book — and from the reviews I can tell who is from Boston (“accents ruined it for me!”) and who isn’t (“audiobook brought it to life!”) I’m the former — I kept thinking what a terrible book to use as my first audiobook experience. I wanted to fire the narrator immediately. The accents/acting took me out of it completely.

That aside, the story was gritty. I did appreciate the honesty of the racism, but it felt caricature-ish at times. And overwhelmingly one-sided. I expected to see more glimpses of the black community’s perspective, but I suppose we were viewing this from Mary Pats perspective and, as said at the end, she wasn’t doing all this for Auggie, she was doing it for Jules. 

A few scenes difficult for me to digest (the forced shoot-up, the twitching in the station, the crunch of bones…). I feel like I didn’t love the story till the last quarter when Mary Pat really becomes a vigilante. But I was also struggling to believe how she had the physical ability and instincts to plot, hunt down, and attack grown men the way it was described. A little fantastical, even if she did grow up in the rough, tough Irish southie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Vomit and Mass/school shootings

jennifersmind's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction and Blood

cosmicfey's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Mass/school shootings, and Pregnancy

arf26's review against another edition

emotional funny sad tense fast-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

5.0

I loved this book!  So well written - taking a heavy and charged set of topics and adding humor.  The insight into the South Boston neighborhood, code, and mindset was riveting.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

marthadude's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kmad's review against another edition

4.0

This is an ugly book (both with the language and the violence), but also very well written historical fiction. Conflicted about how to rate it and could change this later. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

shellbell31's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

this is incredibly dark and hard to read. this book is very very depressing but it’s a good and important story that shows a woman having to face her own racism, as well as the racism in her community, while searching for her missing daughter. there are no heroes in this story, and there is no happy ending. while this is a crime novel, it covers racism, politics, grief, and much more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

noladawnreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, and Pregnancy