Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Sobre los huesos de los muertos by Olga Tokarczuk

44 reviews

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

dark funny slow-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

4.0

As the main character and narrator of this darkly funny novel, Mrs. Duszejko steals the show.  A fierce old woman who lives alone in a house on a remote Polish plateau, she has a big personality as an eccentric astrologer, vegetarian, non-Catholic, and translator of William Blake.  She patrols the area surrounding her home daily and has a few, select friends.  After her neighbor, “Bigfoot,” is found dead, a series of deaths unfolds, but no one will hear her theories about stags and stars.  Ultimately, this is a story of a woman in a significant amount of grief.  Beata Poźniak’s narration is exemplary—just perfect.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

rusina's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, and Religious bigotry

willow_thewisp's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Religious bigotry

garbagebarge69's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Violence and Murder

goatsrsexy's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

This is a hard book to review, because I really enjoyed it. It was super introspective. A literary mystery. I was attracted by the title and it was also my pick for Storygraph Read The World Poland prompt. 

I loved our main character and the way she views the world in such a sad but honest way. I loved her nicknames for her neighbours and her compassion for animals.

It was interesting to read a book from the perspective of a kind of elderly (but she wasn't really that old) woman who lives on the outskirts of society and isn't really viewed as a real person worthy of respect because of her age and the way she acts. She was a very relatable character for me even though I am not an old crazy lady (yet).

My only issue with this book was it was a little slow for me, I couldn't really get into it as much as I wanted to but that may just be cus of the circumstances around when I read it (I've been feeling a little preoccupied lately).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

jordy_kay's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

An older astrology girlie manifests Crime and Punishment too well. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

marinark's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Gore

cryfest's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Classism

likerealpeople's review against another edition

dark mysterious

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, and Murder

noahfence's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

yeah, so. prepare to enter the world of janina duszejko. like, really prepare. its not for the faint of heart.

i have never read anything quite like this book. it is a story that will question your perception of madness, animals, astrology and religion—and you will probably finish it with a very different view of the world.

the plot follows the story of the sickly, elderly woman janina duszejko and her life in a lonely polish village on the border of the czech republic. the book drags you along on her investigation into the strange, unsettling murders of several members of the town’s hunting society, filling you with intrigue, awe—and perhaps horror, depending on your attitude towards animals. do you treat them like they have souls, or not? are you willing to face their wrath?

drive your plow over the bones of the dead is everything i could ever ask for in a book. the weather is strange, the animals are vengeful, the stars are sentient. it is a beautifully dark exploration into feminism, animal rights and murder, and although at first it may just seem like the story of a lonely old women, the prose grips you by the throat and really doesn’t let you go. you will come away from the book wondering if your horoscope could show you how you will die, and if you should really continue eating meat.

drive your plow over the bones of the dead is a deliciously dark read. so go on—take the plunge. 🤭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Grief

Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol