Reviews tagging 'Child death'

America Fantastica by Tim O'Brien

4 reviews

gingermouse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Drug use and Police brutality

This is a satirical barb at post trump America (set during Trump) the racism, classism and general terrible behaviour of the characters is a tool used to demonstrate the state of things without coming right out and saying it. All of the characters are and remain deliberately unlikable. The child death is implied periodically throughout but explained in detail much later, it isn't gruesome or gory but is intensely heart breaking.

elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

Moderate: Child death and Suicide

janemarple's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.75

I’m conflicted about this book. I love Tim O’Brien - The Things They Carried and In the Lake of the Woods are two of my favorite books of all time. In some ways, this is a great book. In other ways it’s a complete mess. It could lose 100 pages and accomplish exactly what it did in a bloated 449. I do appreciate the strong take on the  post-truth America we unfortunately find ourselves living in, and, through fiction, he calls out the conservative politicians who have brought us there. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Fatphobia

abbylw's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder