Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Ga als een rivier by Shelley Read

34 reviews

zreadz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I enjoyed this book. It was tough to get through the tragedy of Victoria’s life at first and it left me fearing for the worst at each page turn, but I think it wrapped up nicely in the end. I really enjoyed the authors descriptive language when talking about nature and the wilderness, tying these elements with love, fate and destiny. I just wish the pacing was a little better. The story went in a different direction than I thought it would based on the first half of the book but I still enjoyed it! It was a nice and heartfelt read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and War

Minor: Car accident and Alcohol

elin_asplund's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Miscarriage and Violence

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-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? Yes

4.75

A story that brings life to completion, and a story with so much more to be told. One that lets my imagination fill in the gaps most satisfactorily.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

_meganrose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

fcvouriot's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and War

mrs_engineer's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

alyssatuininga's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

hilhawk's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

What an incredible story, of resilience, of love, of loss..... It was absolutely devastating and heartbreaking in so many ways, but I couldn't put it down even though I was absolutely wrecked.  
I wish I could go back and read this for the first time again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

sophiestasyna's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent and War

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

I have about 4K words of thoughts about this that are more appropriate for elsewhere, but I am absolutely baffled that other reviews didn't mention the fact that this book uses violence against a Native person to prompt personal growth from a white woman. Wil shows up, gets called slurs, has no characterization,

gets Tori pregnant, is vaguely magical, and then dies in less than 100 pages. He only exists to be pined for as like an ethereal being. He is written as essentially something other than human who also provided a baby.

It made me REALLY uncomfortable. Also, I felt like the end was a whole different story that got tacked on. I just cannot believe Read talked to Native folks before writing this book, as she states in her acknowledgements. Because I really feel like she just went and checked off all the tropes of writing about Native people in the kind of "magical Negro" trope. The character is there to further the story, but they're not really a full person. I'm just really mad about this. First time I've been burned by a blind date with a book. Sigh. The action kind of trickles out too. 
*bought at Analogue Books & Records in Pueblo, CO

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War