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david_slack110507's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was definitely a heavy hitter of a book particularly with its themes and its take on the topic of nature vs nurture with the book taking a stance on the latter. The start of the book really took me along time to get through which was probably not helped by other factors such as reading other books at the time as well as having exams going on in school that limited my reading time particularly of this book however when I got to the latter half of this book it truly made up for the slow and somewhat boring start of the book, at that point I was fully engrossed in what was going on in a way that I hadn't been when I was reading the first half or so.
The premise of this book is really unique/original in not only having the book be from the killer's perspective but also having said killer be a child is very fascinating aa it opens for many discussions on the topic of nature vs nurture and in this case whether 8-year old Chrissie's murder of fellow child Steven was something that she was simply born to do or whether it was her surrounding environment such as a lack of attention, care (Both emotional and physical), and food at home that shaped her into a child capable of such a crime. It was really fascinating to read through especially as you see it through Chrissie's perspective as one part of the two perspectives, we follow throughout this book with the other being Julia, Chrissie grown up with a new identity and a daughter of her own named Molly who she fights to ensure does not end up like her.
Chrissie's perspective is purposely childlike and shows the harsh realities of life and how they are received by a child such as thinking that death is not permanent and not fully understanding the consequences of her actions and how they affected other until much later in her life. It's interesting to read through as while we get reasoning as to what drives Chrissie to do these things such as an emotionally abusive and toxic household, Chrissie is never absolved of her crimes and is fairly judged for the horrible things she did. Meanwhile, Julia is left picking up the pieces of her past actions as a new woman with a daughter who she fears will turn out just like her, I will admit that at the start of Julia's storyline, it was pretty boring to me as it was very exposition heavy as to how she got to this place in her life but after the exposition is placed on the backburner, the story becomes a lot more intriguing and we get to see Chrissie's growth as Julia such as when she recognises how good of a friend Linda was to her despite how horrible she was to Linda as a means of getting power in a life where it was scarcely at her disposal.
My only issues with the book is that the start is quite slow and does feel like it's being done simply to set up the second half and the main events of the book, but it does pay off eventually just acts as a potential discouragement to continue on if the reader finds it too boring. Also, on the blurb it states that there is a storyline featuring Julia being afraid to answer phone calls that come from someone who knows her past and going in I assumed that this would be a driving factor of conflict, yet this ends quite anticlimactically and so too does other parts of the book which could affect some reading experiences but i think the handling of the books themes more than make up for it.
The premise of this book is really unique/original in not only having the book be from the killer's perspective but also having said killer be a child is very fascinating aa it opens for many discussions on the topic of nature vs nurture and in this case whether 8-year old Chrissie's murder of fellow child Steven was something that she was simply born to do or whether it was her surrounding environment such as a lack of attention, care (Both emotional and physical), and food at home that shaped her into a child capable of such a crime. It was really fascinating to read through especially as you see it through Chrissie's perspective as one part of the two perspectives, we follow throughout this book with the other being Julia, Chrissie grown up with a new identity and a daughter of her own named Molly who she fights to ensure does not end up like her.
Chrissie's perspective is purposely childlike and shows the harsh realities of life and how they are received by a child such as thinking that death is not permanent and not fully understanding the consequences of her actions and how they affected other until much later in her life. It's interesting to read through as while we get reasoning as to what drives Chrissie to do these things such as an emotionally abusive and toxic household, Chrissie is never absolved of her crimes and is fairly judged for the horrible things she did. Meanwhile, Julia is left picking up the pieces of her past actions as a new woman with a daughter who she fears will turn out just like her, I will admit that at the start of Julia's storyline, it was pretty boring to me as it was very exposition heavy as to how she got to this place in her life but after the exposition is placed on the backburner, the story becomes a lot more intriguing and we get to see Chrissie's growth as Julia such as when she recognises how good of a friend Linda was to her despite how horrible she was to Linda as a means of getting power in a life where it was scarcely at her disposal.
My only issues with the book is that the start is quite slow and does feel like it's being done simply to set up the second half and the main events of the book, but it does pay off eventually just acts as a potential discouragement to continue on if the reader finds it too boring. Also, on the blurb it states that there is a storyline featuring Julia being afraid to answer phone calls that come from someone who knows her past and going in I assumed that this would be a driving factor of conflict, yet this ends quite anticlimactically and so too does other parts of the book which could affect some reading experiences but i think the handling of the books themes more than make up for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Fatphobia, Violence, Vomit, and Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, and Alcohol
slimywyrm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Excrement, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Cursing
creatuvre's review against another edition
dark
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
hayleyvharrington's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Abortion
kmccann98's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Violence
jacksonaugust33's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Eating disorder
cateyeschloe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
I read this book twice back to back.
It’s taken me some time and a second read to fully process everything this book made me feel, considering it made me feel A LOT. Which is exactly what I look for in a book - something I can emotionally connect with that makes me feel real things. That’s a huge A+ for me.
However, that definitely doesn’t dampen just how brutally dark, tragic, and devastating this book is.
The First Day of Spring delves into the ripple affects that mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and genetic mental issues can cause in the life of a young child.
Chrissie is only eight years old when we meet her and we are introduced as she is murdering another child. From that point on, the book leaps into Chrissie’s history and begs the reader to consider many questions.
Who would Chrissie be if she were cared for, loved, and not mistreated?
What are the responsibilities of individuals on the outside? The ones looking in who only see glimpses of the tell-tale signs of abuse and neglect? How far should they go to reach out and truly try to help an individual - especially a child - in need?
Is it truly best for a child to stay with their biological parents if one or both parents are mentally ill or in some way simply unable to take care of their child the way they should?
Is it okay for a child to stay with their biological parent who has mental health struggles, but, despite that, is putting in the work to cope and do the best they can to raise their child?
This book paints a very clear picture in the ways, often, that school systems, adoption agencies, police, and children protective services fail children who most desperately need help. How could we, as a society, reform these institutions to better support and care for children in need? What resources could we supply teachers, for instance, with where they could not only better care for kids in school but perhaps even extend help for kids who need it at home?
My first read through, I read this book in a day. The pace is little slower than some, but I didn’t find it sluggish or difficult to get through at all. In fact, I would say the style of writing in this book is some of the best I’ve ever encountered. It manages to blend beauty and poetry with themes of pain and tragedy. I absolutely have to praise the author for an outstanding job of creating prose that is elegant and eloquent despite the devastating scenes she delivers to the reader.
I found Chrissie’s internal thought process and the way in which she navigates the world to be both fascinating and, at times, unfortunately relatable. If you live with certain forms of mental illness or disorder or if you lived with abuse or neglect growing up, you will definitely find many instances where you can relate to some of Chrissie’s experiences.
One of the only “flaws” I noticed with this book is the pervasive use of the word “fat” as an insult or derogatory word. However, ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that other kids are actually being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. Nonetheless, the presence of fatphobia is sprinkled throughout.
The only other issue I noticed in this book was the term “Chinese burn”, which is used twice. I’ve never heard this term, myself, but I do live in the US so perhaps it’s more of a UK phrase. The phrase seems to have the same connotation as “Indian burn” had here in the US, from what I can find online, and because of this I can only assume it’s an outdated, culturally insensitive phrase that probably could have been easily replaced.
Overall, I think this is an excellent book that I will probably read again in the future. The author delves into much deeper topics than just the murder of a child, and the intricacies of the story are what kept me deeply invested from start to finish.
There is a lot of nuance in this book and I would definitely recommend not forming judgments as you read but considering every situation from multiple avenues. Chrissie is not always a reliable narrator and it’s important to be able to determine the ways in which things might not always be as she presents them.
There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this book, and I recommend checking them out if you have any concerns before venturing in.
It’s taken me some time and a second read to fully process everything this book made me feel, considering it made me feel A LOT. Which is exactly what I look for in a book - something I can emotionally connect with that makes me feel real things. That’s a huge A+ for me.
However, that definitely doesn’t dampen just how brutally dark, tragic, and devastating this book is.
The First Day of Spring delves into the ripple affects that mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and genetic mental issues can cause in the life of a young child.
Chrissie is only eight years old when we meet her and we are introduced as she is murdering another child. From that point on, the book leaps into Chrissie’s history and begs the reader to consider many questions.
Who would Chrissie be if she were cared for, loved, and not mistreated?
What are the responsibilities of individuals on the outside? The ones looking in who only see glimpses of the tell-tale signs of abuse and neglect? How far should they go to reach out and truly try to help an individual - especially a child - in need?
Is it truly best for a child to stay with their biological parents if one or both parents are mentally ill or in some way simply unable to take care of their child the way they should?
Is it okay for a child to stay with their biological parent who has mental health struggles, but, despite that, is putting in the work to cope and do the best they can to raise their child?
This book paints a very clear picture in the ways, often, that school systems, adoption agencies, police, and children protective services fail children who most desperately need help. How could we, as a society, reform these institutions to better support and care for children in need? What resources could we supply teachers, for instance, with where they could not only better care for kids in school but perhaps even extend help for kids who need it at home?
My first read through, I read this book in a day. The pace is little slower than some, but I didn’t find it sluggish or difficult to get through at all. In fact, I would say the style of writing in this book is some of the best I’ve ever encountered. It manages to blend beauty and poetry with themes of pain and tragedy. I absolutely have to praise the author for an outstanding job of creating prose that is elegant and eloquent despite the devastating scenes she delivers to the reader.
I found Chrissie’s internal thought process and the way in which she navigates the world to be both fascinating and, at times, unfortunately relatable. If you live with certain forms of mental illness or disorder or if you lived with abuse or neglect growing up, you will definitely find many instances where you can relate to some of Chrissie’s experiences.
One of the only “flaws” I noticed with this book is the pervasive use of the word “fat” as an insult or derogatory word. However, ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that other kids are actually being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. Nonetheless, the presence of fatphobia is sprinkled throughout.
The only other issue I noticed in this book was the term “Chinese burn”, which is used twice. I’ve never heard this term, myself, but I do live in the US so perhaps it’s more of a UK phrase. The phrase seems to have the same connotation as “Indian burn” had here in the US, from what I can find online, and because of this I can only assume it’s an outdated, culturally insensitive phrase that probably could have been easily replaced.
Overall, I think this is an excellent book that I will probably read again in the future. The author delves into much deeper topics than just the murder of a child, and the intricacies of the story are what kept me deeply invested from start to finish.
There is a lot of nuance in this book and I would definitely recommend not forming judgments as you read but considering every situation from multiple avenues. Chrissie is not always a reliable narrator and it’s important to be able to determine the ways in which things might not always be as she presents them.
There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this book, and I recommend checking them out if you have any concerns before venturing in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
There is an extensive use of the word “fat” as a derogatory term and as an insult in this book. Ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that the other kids are being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. It is very pervasive language used in the book, though.
Death / murder in the book is very vivid and detailed, though not particularly gruesome nor bloody at all.
There are a few brief scenes of domestic abuse involving physical violence, seen through the perspective of a child.
There is one scene between two minors, the girl being 8 and the boy being 12, in which the girl offers to let the boy put his hand inside her underwear. He does and just leaves his hand there for a few moments before leaving, supposedly embarrassed.
There is one scene in the book that talks about an adult’s first time having sex. The adult doesn’t really seem to have much of an understanding of what sex is or how it works, and this definitely creates a sense of dubious consent, at best. This character never seems to enjoy the act, either, and the entire scene is intentionally very uncomfortable.
steph_collins's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Vomit
_leesey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.0
It’s just a sad book to read, and heavy content. The mix between Christie, Julia and Mollys chapters made the book flow quickly, but I felt like I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
lexi17d's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder