Reviews tagging 'Death'

La Diga by Michael McDowell

9 reviews

elixierbroth's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective tense 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

2.5

As you might guess from the title, Perdido is getting a Levee in this book!
Most of the plot is about that, or family drama. Elinor does not want the Levee. Therefore, Mary-love thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread. The townsfolk would just like. To not be flooded again. 

Elinor continues to be terribly obvious.
Mary-Love continues to be terribly obvious. The battle between them

river-monster versus monster-in-law

, continues, and I love it I really do. I'm reading this in parallel with Susan Forward/Donna Fraizer's Emotional Blackmail book.
And let me tell you it's a trip to combine them. Mary-love is just the most obvious specimen: most of adult characters in this could be a case study in that book all by themself.

It's good to see more behind Oscar and Sister in this book, and get to see in what ways they attempt to gain some power and personal freedom (spoilers: more similar methods than you'd think!). We meet some new characters in this as the Levee goes from planning stages to being put up and people sweep in and out of town. I actually texted a friend being like 'Oh I found out why there's
a skewered heart on the cover!'

Sister, Ivey, that's fucked up!

and then I was surprised at who died and who didn't at the end. 
Michael McDowell writes really well in a 'time passed and this stuff happened' way, without leaving me feeling acutely that I'm being told not shown. The changes in the town and the river stay as important as the machinations of it's inhabitants.

Leading from that, towards the end we get a POV from Frances, Elinor and Oscar's second child, who is suddenly five years old! Where did the time go. But I mean that in an 'oh wow yes the time really did pass', like in real life, not in a 'blink so we as readers can skip the boring parts' kind of way. 
Frances might be my favourite for the fully biased reason of 'she thinks like me for real' and also for having the most concrete reason to be interesting! I look forward to seeing how she develops as a character in book 3.

and wether or not she's gonna end up Et by her mama! It could happen.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia and Racism

Regarding the child death.

the particular child death I tagged for in this one was worse than in book one; there Buster goes through some terrible almost-drowning-and-getting-crushed-by-monster but does at least get to pass out before ultimately being killed. This time the child Elinor lures to her is heavily implied to be mentally disabled and he is alive and not able to find the wherewithal to even cry out from betrayal when she turns into a monster and literally dismembers him. He's still alive while being tossed around and buried alive and it's just. It's rough, buddy. Which honestly I'm sure is the point! If there wasn't a large hint his body is going to be found later and it's going to create A Problem for Elinor/Justice for him, it would be even harder going.

mars_abella's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Blood

Minor: Rape

fantasycorner's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

3.0

Se le ven ya las costuras a esta saga: desarrollo monótono y capítulos finales de infarto 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault

sleepybythelake's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Physical abuse

atalea's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Rape, and Pregnancy

Minor: Homophobia

anna_pizzichidilibri's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

theremightbecupcakes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Death

emmaopaline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Rape

whatathymeitwas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

Still enthralled with the series. Can't wait to see where it goes next. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism and Slavery

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy