Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

6 reviews

seventhswan's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

"It was pleasing to think she had changed herself on purpose, that there was at least one item of proof of her ability to do so."

I was slightly apprehensive about the premise of this book - fearing either bleak poverty porn or the romanticisation of addiction and older men - but fortunately I needn't have worried. The characters are where the book really shone, and I really connected and empathised with Carmel despite her failings. While most of the plot was tragic, it wasn't too soapy and the cautiously optimistic ending saved it from veering into the ridiculous. We all know a Carmel or a Richie and we could all, as the title suggests, become one. 

I particularly appreciated how Nolan handled the main events of the plot, concerning the killing of one child by another. It was sensitively and realistically done, and Lucy got to be a whole character with a convincing arc rather than just the Evil Demon Child. One of the best books I have read this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Murder

Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer

emlibe's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

happyknitter2020's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Read as was listed for Women's Prize longlist 2024.

Intergenerational story of challenging lived experiences, which led a 10 year old to take the life of a toddler. 

Reflects on the impact of trauma attachments throughout a whole family & the media culture too. 

A tragic story, hopefully will be shortlisted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

readingwithgoose's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent

bubblegum_or_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Grief

reads_eats_explores's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Set in the 1990s, ambitious reporter Tom Hargreaves stumbles across a scoop: a dead child on a London estate. At the centre of the suspicions are one reclusive family of Irish immigrants; others on the estate call them ‘degenerates’, ‘bad apples’. But are they even to blame, or is this a modern day witch hunt?

Fiercely ambitious Tom is determined to get to the bottom of the events, but he has a brisk disregard for the ‘peasants,’ i.e. anyone, not a celebrity or journalist; he believes that nothing should get in the way of a good story, particularly none of the ‘ordinary human failings’.

Tom convinces the newspaper to put the family up in a hotel with all expenses paid. In the conversations that follow, the family are forced to confront the secrets, prejudices and silences that have trapped them for generations.

Told in a stream-of-consciousness style from various characters' points of view, this adds intimacy and depth to the narrative that would otherwise be difficult to achieve so well here. The author's exploration of love, desire, and mental health is poignant and beautifully done. 

Nolan’s characters are tangible and diverse in their physicality and emotion. There is a grittily true sense of the familial ties of the Green family; Nolan’s observation of their inner and outer emotional lives and the predispositions to why they act as they do are spot on.

Ultimately this is a stunning portrait of what it is to struggle in the face of incomprehensible circumstances, of repression, and its resulting damage.

I expected this book to be more like ‘Acts’ a "messy woman" book which I adored, but this is much more of a thriller/mystery. And I loved it; utterly compelling reading. 4.5 ⭐

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism