Reviews tagging 'Death'

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

25 reviews

bravelass85's review against another edition

hopeful sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Racism

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging hopeful inspiring tense

5.0

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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

chlschn's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Police brutality

Moderate: Racism

jourdanicus's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I'm finding it so hard to rate this book. 

Based on the summary and my past experience with the author, I figured this would be a resounding 5⭐ read for me. The going was really good, and I loved the writing style. Having multiple narrators made the audiobook so engaging (although the English narrator for Theo has an awful American accent... Lol, sorry).

But... I just... Felt that the ending was SUCH a flop. Maybe I'm spoiled on having happy endings from reading so much romance, I don't know...

Aside from the ending, I mainly have complex feelings on how the topic of race was handled in this book. There was so much detail and sensitivity, and yet... Not a lot of nuance? I know from the Afterword that Brooks really did her research for this book, including having Black early readers, which is good to do. But there were still some parts that felt a little forced. And then (back to my problems with the ending)

to kill Theo off, in a police shooting no less?

Like... Why? I'm not against tragedy in a story, but tragedy that seems to serve no purpose to the plot? Okay, maybe that was the point, since police violence against Black people is so senseless in real life. But I was then made uncomfortable by the focus shifting to Jess's awkward grief and white guilt over the whole thing.

I wish the end hadn't soiled the rest of the book for me, because really it was an interesting, uncommon story, beautifully told. It just needed a stronger finish.

I'm off to look up nonfiction accounts of Black equestrians now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Racial slurs, Grief, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kaakison's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Police brutality

emercedesrich's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault

mariposa517's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Cursing, Islamophobia, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

chickaboogawah's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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

5.0

I loved this book by Geraldine Brooks. She is such a great author, and she skillfully wove the various storylines together. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Death, Gore, Excrement, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mamasuereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I appreciated the research the author did and I enjoyed learning about the race horse, art history, and the work done behind the scenes at the Smithsonian institutes.  This story was very sad to me and I don't enjoy reading about the past mistreatment of animals and humans knowing that it still exists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, and Grief

mood_124's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

Gripped my heart rooting for Jarret and Lexington, whilst discovering the story alongside Jess and Theo. Martha was the perfect connection between the two settings!
Ending tore my heart, what an amazing story definitely worth the read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Animal death and Death

Minor: War