Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

17 reviews

dreamerfreak's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

decembermagpie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Minor: War

rdoose's review against another edition

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

cearakelly's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

trout_lily's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense 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

2.5

On the one hand it is a gorgeous generations-spanning Canadian-Lebanese story about a part of Canada I know so little about- Cape Breton.  It's a story of deep trauma, sexual abuse and neglect, the secrets that are kept from others so one can survive, and the ways in which 3 sisters understand and respond to their circumstances so differently. On the other hand it is excruciatingly long. I struggled to get through it -mostly the middle chunk during what felt like decades of girls growing up in circles.  I put it down many times but I eventually finished it. It was somewhat worth finishing, but ugh,  it really, really,  really needed an editor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault

donaldleitch's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

kirishanthy's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

calandra_hudson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and War

Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt

booksnacks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Pregnancy

Minor: Incest and Rape

kyr_6592's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

The middle third dragged endlessly and had unnecessary plot and characters. But the last third with

Rose and queer relationships

redeemed it and was much more lively. I’m always down for a multigenerational family saga and the girls’ relationships were the heart of the book. Super dark and every trigger warning. 

“Frances learns something in this moment that will allow her to survive and function for the rest of her life. She finds out that one thing can look like another. That the facts of a situation don’t necessarily indicate anything about the truth of a situation. In this moment, fact and truth become separated and commence to wander like twins in a fairy tale, waiting to be reunited by that special someone who possesses the secret of telling them apart.”

“The more Frances tells, the more she remembers. As though it were all parked, waiting behind the flimsiest of stage scenery—a scrim perhaps—and suddenly exposed by a trick of light; the countryside dissolving to reveal the battlefield, present all along.“

“all the music is in this scale. The scale is just a safe place where all the music can fold itself down and get stored. Like seeds.”

““You’re not exactly a good girl, are you?” I felt myself blush, I was actually a bit annoyed. “I haven’t thought about whether or not loving all kinds of music and loving to dance means I’m bad.” She said, “I’m sorry. What I mean is . . . you’ve got moxie. You know. Guts. You make me feel like a coward.””

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, and Rape