Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Dark Places

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

41 reviews

myachap's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.25

To me, this is the perfect book for anybody who loved the TV programme The Sinner: a murder mystery that encompasses a complex web of character with a random sideline story about the devil and Satanism. Overall it was a good read, I think it started too slow and finished too fast.

Spoiler

I really liked the mum’s role in the ending / murders and that she sacrificed herself for her children. I feel like that was impactful for the storyline and highlighted the ferocity, darkness and bravery that a lot of the Day family have/had in response to their live experiences. I did however feel Diondra’s role took away from this a bit and the entire ending and Whodunnit was slightly convoluted. And while I completely understand the child (sexual) abuse is necessary to add darkness and depth to Ben’s character I felt it became completely brushed over when it was discovered the little girl who’s a drunk, lying prostitute. Despite her fabricating much of her story, the fact remains that Ben behaved inappropriately, including by his own admission becoming sexually aroused by the child. I wish this was dealt with more in Ben’s “redemption”. I also feel like the ending could’ve had a bit more depth to it, the author had spent the entire book creating deep, complex characters the majority of whom characterised with darkness and yet I felt like we were left with no real character development or conclusion. But all in all, an enjoyable read!

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axelsmarin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

Que personajes tan oscuros tiene Gillian Flynn

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cluelessdino's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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dee97's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5

This was an interesting story although i was not a fan of the ending. This book is really bleak , it sucks you in and almost every character is just so messed up and infuriating. You might need to take a break and watch some happy shows to get over this.

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illgiveyouahint's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny 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

3.5

First finished vacation read!
I wil lsay I'm not much of a crime thriller reader. It's not really my thing.
However the first 3/4 of the book were great. I enjoyed the switching between now and then. I thought the three narrators had all distinct voices. Ben was so beautifully stupid and teenagery. I occasionally found it funny even.
But I gotta be honest the ending really disappointed me. After all this build up I expected a bit more. It felt like the resolution/reveal came out of nowhere and it was all tied up with a bow all too neatly in my honest opinion. Like it was such a let down after such a build up.

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