Reviews with content warning for Death - O Caledonia

Reviews tagging 'Death'

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

10 reviews

monalyisha's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

I felt clever when I realized that O Caledonia is like a twisted & tragic “I Capture the Castle,” as seen through a funhouse mirror, with Wednesday Addams as the protagonist. Then, I read Maggie O’Farrell’s introduction, which I saved for last to avoid spoilers, and saw that she made the same literary comparison. Despite its short length, I didn’t find this a fast read. It is, however, witty and darkly atmospheric with a keen attention to language.

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thatchickengirl23's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

2.0

I found the experience of reading this to be generally unpleasant. Backwards as it may be, the more a book is considered a "literary darling," the more skeptical I become that I will enjoy it. The forward praising the book before it actually started made me appropriately apprehensive.

I imagine there must be readers who like the main character Janet, but I did not find her relatable or sympathetic. In some ways she strikes a "not like other girls" chord to the extreme. She's above frivolous things like learning how to clean and sew, she is too busy with poetry and flouncing around her family's estate. She has the drama of Anne of Green Gables but none of the charm. Her single redeeming quality is that she likes animals and doesn't want them to suffer, but this is oddly juxtaposed with a total lack of empathy or understanding of people.

She can't mercy kill a pigeon, but she did try to kill her baby sister and she nearly killed another baby sibling by handling her with the care of a bowling ball. She also didn't care about sending two boys to get seriously injured in a decaying building. These boys in particular were just children who hadn't done anything against her.

It's often hard to tell what age Janet or the other children are meant to be at a given point in the story, but even so, their behavior (specifically Janet's) and lack of understanding feels too strange to be explained by childhood. I mean, not to victim blame, but a lot of Janet's suffering is because of her own choices. She makes really bad ones. Janet isn't the only one, though. Every human character sucks, sometimes more and sometimes less, but none of them are a positive presence. The Jackdaw is the best character, but he's only there for a very small part of the book, and he's a bird.

There are many instances of animal cruelty and death that are hard to read, and they contribute to the overall somewhat gross and disturbing tone of the book. The

asylum scene

and the scenes with a variety of male characters after Janet has gone through some puberty also contribute to this vulgar tone, and there's a little fatphobia sprinkled in as well.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was fine, but any parts where there were poetry or song recitations in the text felt grating to me. I felt myself clenching my teeth when they'd pop in.

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kirstym25's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

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mynameisrebecca's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.75

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austenite93's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny tense fast-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

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thearchivist03's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

This coming of age tale is really dark, but it's reflective. I wish the author hadn't spoiled that the main character is dead in the first few pages as I think it took away from the surprise at the end when you learn of the truth behind the murder mystery.
That being said, the prose was so beautiful. This was excellently written out, scenery and Janet' character and her inner monologues were spelled out perfectly in feeling and in words. I wish the plot had more to it, but it does follow a person's life, which doesn't give room to be creative. It was very linear storytelling, very static, and I think that's what threw me off personally. The ending and moral of this story is dark, but it does make me think and wonder of the existence and societal responsibilities placed on children, especially the eldest. Very tragic tale, not too enjoyable and lighthearted, but thought provoking.

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