Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

27 reviews

julierambaeck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.0

This was a 2 star for me, and I think that is entirely my fault for picking this book up. This is not a book for me, and I should've known that. I can see and appreciate that this is a masterpiece, just one I didn't enjoy reading. It was waaaay to violent and explicit. 
I am glad I have read it, but it felt like a chore to get through - it took me two months to get through!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

ebullientbunny's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

themdash's review against another edition

I gave up after the hot forest outlaw raped the main dude who was lowkey dying of exposure/starvation next to his sleeping children literal hours they had just buried their mother and left the infant whose birth killed her to die

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jessiekind_'s review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War

aether_seawo1f's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Glacial pacing for the first 600 pages, the last 400 are decent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

dielilla's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol

expandingmybookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder

motobart's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

This is a long read, but it flows well and the verse is economical and simple in the best ways. Folletts writing style is very minimal, but used to great effect. It took me a bit before I realized how brilliant it was. This book is unlike anything I've read before, and has many elements that make it a  remarkable achievement in modern literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

This book takes place in the 1100s, and some things that were commonplace then will seem abhorrent by today's standards. It is best to be open-minded reading this as historical fiction, with the understanding that the world was a different, though often similar, place.

lanternheart's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.75

A sprawling, enchanting epic that was, for all the time it took me, hard to ever fully put down — I found myself deeply invested in its characters, especially Aliena and Jack, and was devastated at the

death of Tom Builder in William's raid

. If there's one thing that was truly difficult about this book, it was being in William's head as he ages — as a young man, he is quickly shown to be spoilt and cruel, and only ever comes a

rapist and warmongerer

before actively turning his hatred to the

murder of Thomas Beckett

. (The latter is historical event, but spoilered for the sake of its role in the story for the unfamiliar.)

I've always been a deep lover of historical fiction, and watching Jack's explorations across medieval Europe and Spain as he became an adult were especially interesting — I wish we'd spent more time with him then! Aliena's perspective was always riveting, and her story was such a wild run of twists and turns, falls and triumphs. Despite not being a religious man myself, at least not a Christian one, I also found deep empathy for Prior Philip, and loved the way his story illuminates the politics and zeal of the medieval church. 

I'm borrowing the next one from a relative, and I know I'll start it soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse

sonygaystation's review against another edition

So many parts of it are boring and when they’re not boring they’re exceedingly graphic. Sex scenes are wholly unnecessary and always written with the male gaze so the woman’s perspective is so unrealistic. I can’t deal with the graphic rape, assault, and abuse; the graphic descriptions of stoning cats; the unrealistic and boring “love” between Tom and Ellen; and the weirdo random anti-semitism sprinkled here and there throughout. I LOVE fantasy but I don’t understand how people can stomach this book and find it not only read-able but actively enjoyable. Y’all have suspect taste

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry