Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne

5 reviews

yarm's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I found this book hard to rate. It was brilliantly written but the main characters were perverse and disdainful. I had to read it in stages interspersing with other books, due to the theme and images of perverted old men with young boys (although legally above age of consent). I was pleased with the ending though, when justice prevailed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Murder and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism

m_a_j's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse

madamelacy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Absolutely gripping story of a man driven by literary ambitions but short on original ideas. Maurice uses his good looks to entrance people with greater story telling talents than him, steals their words then discards them. The denouement is superb. 

Highly recommend this book. This is the first John Boyne I’ve read but won’t be my last. Boyne appeared on radio 4’s Open Book, talking about this book. It’s well worth a listen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Vomit

unboxedjack's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Murder, and Pregnancy

andy78's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I- I don't know what to say other than that this book is the first to ever make me feel physically ill and it's not even some horror shit. Fuck Maurice.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Rape, Suicide, and Antisemitism