Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

237 reviews

rceparski's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

jbran24's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

juliusclearance's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

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

4.75

This was an excellent read. I had to pace myself but it was worth it.
I considered giving this book a five star as I didn’t want to undersell the book and my experience with it. The story was at times uncomfortable, and although I would have preferred a different ending, but this is a book I will recommend and likely reread.
I do think the moral of the story is a little heavy handed at the end, and I would

rather have not had the flashback at the end, but then I’ve always preferred a more open ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Suicide, and Violence

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel is a sad and terrifying book about the collapse of society from a fast-spreading pandemic - and what remains twenty years later. But it's also a stpry about interconnected lives, the small moments that do and don't define us, and the unknowable.

I've owned this book since December 2018, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it before March 2020. And then I couldn't bring myself to. I wonder, having read it now, what my experience of the pandemic would have been if I had. On one hand, this story explores a total society collapse due to a swift and extremely deadly virus, so much worse than we experienced. So maybe that would have been comforting. But I don't think so. I found the chapters of the collapse extremely stressful, and actually had a pandemic nightmare. Mandel does an amazingly vivid job of depicting the range of human reactions to such a virulent outbreak.

Moving away from that, I found this book's exploration of public perception, legacy, physical media, and community fascinating. The Travelling Symphony continues to perform Shakespeare, while Kirsten finds comfort in sci-fi through memories of Star Trek and the comic Station Eleven. There's celebrity magazines, newspapers, and other physical items and media that speak to the world we have. 

I enjoyed how the point-of-view narrators lives circled around each other, although I do wish some connections were made on-page in the "present day". I had particular hopes for two of the characters. 

Too much of this book felt heartbreakingly real in a way I have to give Mandel props for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Grief, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Infidelity and Sexual violence

roseswithoutthorns's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Rape

descriptions of cults and religious psychosis

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

It's interesting to read a post pandemic apocalypse after the whole actual pandemic. It's well written, and I always like split perspective and split timelines. I feel like some of the plot points could have been tied up clearer, for a book that so deliberately makes sure all the characters have oelverlapping lives, we sort of miss out on what happens with Elizabeth. It just feels like that plot line was left unconcerned, while everyone else had their loose ends tied up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Rape, and Excrement

erkhaly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Rape

purplepickle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

I set the book down once to go get lunch. I walked outside and a car drove past me on the street. I nearly burst into tears.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

wellreadmegs's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was a little out of my comfort zone but I had heard good things so I gave it a shot. I wasn't sure how I would feel reading about a pandemic as I hate reading books that mention COVID but I think because this was a different kind of pandemic it still felt like a distant world and not too close to home. 

I enjoyed the way in which this book was written going back and forth between storylines and time frames. I was really rooting for some of the characters. The ending left me a bit disappointed. I was expecting more from the ending and it was just a little quiet and sad. 

Overall a solid book with dystopian vibes. Reminded me at times of The Measure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Rape

avoticat's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful sad fast-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

4.0

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. I enjoyed the non-linear storytelling and all of the characters and how they all felt connected through one specific character. The writing was good, a little clunky in some places but not so much to spoil the overall feel.

I personally would have preferred the Prophet to have played a bigger role or presented as a bigger threat overall but regardless, this is still a very enjoyable book.

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic speculative fiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment

A lot of these things are not focused or dwelled on, apart from the pandemic of the Georgia Flu. I have noted racism mostly due to the naming of the Georgia Flu.