Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O'Donoghue

9 reviews

marpaige's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, and Sexual assault

thewoodlandbookshelf's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Rape and War

adrienne_rennie's review

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Incest and Pregnancy

bella_cavicchi's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I found this a bit of a mixed bag. It holds a strong premise, and I appreciated how Irish history (and the relatable tension between pride and shame over one's country) is woven throughout. But I also thought the execution of the narrative itself fell flat, the pace oftentimes moving too quickly and conveniently for me to appreciate the weight of the story. Likewise, the characters felt more like sketches than fully drawn out -- which is a shame because the foundation is there!

All said, it made for good commute reading :~)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Alcohol

hollymileham's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.25

what a big slog of a read this was
definitely the best written book ive read by her, however the pacing of the plot just did not hit the spot and it got to the point where i just wasnt rooting for anyone and didnt care at all, everyones very unlikable and i feel like the whole conspiracy plot could have been a lot more interesting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

cascar's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, and Lesbophobia

becca_thegrimreader's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I absolutely loved this book. In the words of Caroline O’Donoghue herself, it’s a banger. Charlie is an aspiring filmmaker. Her father is dying from cancer and Charlie struggles to balance her career and her family. She has just made a film based on a childhood tragedy of her father’s. He was the sole surviving child in a fatal gas leak in his school on the island of Clipim. Charlie travels to Ireland, and subsequently to Clipim where she must confront the past and discover the truth. 

Charlie’s trip to Ireland is quite funny initially as she considers herself Irish but has never visited the country before. The book tackles many romantic stereotypes that Ireland has been given by many. Ireland is often seen as a friendly, welcoming, and happy nation, yet the real truth is that we have as many issues and dark historical secrets beneath the surface. The book delves into the cover-ups and the denial of the truth. A warning to readers that it does discuss the abuse of women and children at the hands of the Catholic Church. 

Charlie herself is someone that you are rooting for from the very start. She is lost and hurt that her career has not taken off like her friend Laura. She is also mourning her friendship with Laura, who in my mind does not treat her well. Laura’s off-hand remarks about past situations between the two, and even about remarks about LGBTQ+ were incredibly hurtful. Yet the relationship and feelings between the two felt agonisingly real. The pain of watching your friend move on with their life, their career taking off, and feeling left behind are ones that many can relate to in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Sexual content and Terminal illness

Minor: Homophobia and Forced institutionalization

dj_teasdale's review

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Grief