Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende

3 reviews

creativerunnings's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes

4.0

I read this book in Spanish and found it to be a page turner at the same time as it feeling tedious in parts. 

I think the issue could be that somewhere between 60 and 80 percent it feels very drawn out, followed by a hastier end.

It feels a little odd to draw parallels between the holocaust and the situation at the Mexican border, but this may be because I'm Austrian and pretty traumatized by what happened in my country of birth (I have lived in North America for decades now.). The way these two stories met at the end just didn't seem important enough to base a whole book on its premise.

Overall, the book is very engaging, and I'd recommend it - I enjoyed the character driven approach. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, and Alcohol

pomoevareads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

Telling the stories of a young boy separated from his family during the time of Nazi controlled Germany and moved to England via the Kindertransport and many years later in the United States at the Mexico border where a young girl is detained separately from her mother and goes into the care system while their asylum is considered, The Wind Knows My Name is a special book.

I have been a reader of Isabel Allende’s since 2005/6 when I first read The House of the Spirits. I have read almost all of her books and they are all dear to me.  Much like her previous novels, Allende opens the door to parts of history (and present in this case) and creates an emotional tie to the periods.

The two timelines converge and if you don’t shed tears then what kind of monster are you. It is at once heartbreaking and heartwarming. Allende was first inspired to write this story after seeing a play about Kindertransport. From there she used some of her personal connections to a Foundation she started many years ago after losing her own daughter, Paula. This organization works to serve women and children and works with refugees along the U.S. border as well as internationally. The best reads are those that are passion projects and I hope that readers will pick up The Wind Knows My Name.

Oh and if it wasn’t obvious, I loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, and Stalking

Minor: Vomit