Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

33 reviews

kk_gotit_goinon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is incredible. It makes you think, feel, laugh. I love how everything gets connected in the end. I couldn't put it down, I'm so excited to discuss it with my book club. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury

kendoll_renea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, War, and Classism

bethmitcham's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging hopeful inspiring tense

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

emotional informative sad fast-paced

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

kbifolck's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

The Jess/Theo romance and the final plot twist dampened my appreciation for this book. They really took me out of what the author was building and I'm not sure these developments were needed. I think the author could have kept the same trajectory and meaning of the story without those events. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and War

Minor: Alcoholism

clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective 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? No

3.0

I have really mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the storyline with Jarrett - it was so richly told and sketched an era of time I don't know much about, from a perspective that is not given much air time. I found the deep diving into 1860s horse racing incredibly fascinating, and I really enjoyed the science aspect of the modern-day storyline. But basically everything else about the modern-day storyline bothered me. Brooks completely forces Jess and Theo together - they have really no chemistry, and I don't really believe they'd have a romantic connection after she had a racist reaction to seeing him standing over what she thought was his bike - and their clashes about their differing backgrounds and perspectives feel incredibly ham-handed and forced. The ending is also completely abrupt, ridiculous, and useless, and really left a bad taste in my mouth.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism

alekguerrero's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? No

5.0

A fantastic book! So layered and nuanced. You think you’re reading a book about a historical famous racing horse but it’s about so so much more. Makes you think, makes you question, makes you angry, makes you cry. Moving in its entirety!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and War

eebluee's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

The worlds of horse racing in the mid-19th century, art criticism, and equine/animal osteology are laid out beautifully, to someone who knew nothing about them beforehand. The characters are vivid, and the perspective (and point of view) switches create a complexity to this world, where the focus is first and foremost on the horse, Lexington, which I quite enjoyed.

Theo's death hit me hard, even though I now see it being foreshadowed. I cried.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

emjrey's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

An incredible story based around famous racehorse- covering his life just before the US civil war, and later looking back at his life through a story centering researchers and art. It does not shy away from talking about racism and slavery during the historical period but also in the modern setting.
 Thought this was fantastic 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty