Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

19 reviews

summboo's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Intense book that causes you to reflect on capitalist systems

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Death of parent

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Grief

The book is intense I’m it’s descriptions of poverty and the food industry in the early 1900s. Parts of the book are unsettling and difficult to read because they are trauma spawning events for the main character

kathleendayle's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Grief, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

alex2teeuw's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

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

3.75

A rather depressing read, it must be said. It's incredibly informative. You feel the despair whilst reading it. And it's strangely relatable to contemporary society; not because of destitution, starvation and consumption epidemics, not to mention the famous depiction of the slaughterhouses - in Europe and the USA these are (for most people) no longer pressing issues. Rather Sinclair draws attention towards the necessity for profit at all costs and the injustices of poverty in a world of plenty. Yet, for all that is rewarding about Sinclair's impressive and polemic descriptions, the novel felt at times a bit too slow. The arduous conditions of the working class in early 20th century Chicago were at times themselves labouring for the reader - maybe this is deliberate: after all, it is a realist novel. These experiences were lived.
The ending is abrupt. Hopeful though it may be, it does not relate the prospects of a brighter future to the tumultuous lives of the past documented throughout the novel. (who am I to criticise Upton Sinclair??). The Jungle is impactful and insightful, but it's not exciting, it's not gripping. And it feels like the story is unfinished. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, and Abandonment

monjure's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism and Xenophobia

clara_2021's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

jax00's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense slow-paced

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

3.75

It was wordy and hard to follow. However, it spoke about issues facing Americans during the 1900s. It highlighted unfair working conditions and living conditions. This is also the perfect example of Murphy's Law.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

grrr8_catsby's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

grayscale08's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

amanileb's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent