Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

602 reviews

eloiserw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, and Suicide

Minor: Rape

nicnels's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Gaslighting

tomoonarmy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

peach_pie's review against another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but man it was so depressing and anxious. And I know it’s probably the point, but the characters really aren’t likeable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting

danicakvcs's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, and Antisemitism

Minor: Domestic abuse and Self harm

angstifies's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

enjoyed this way more than i expected! 

this book is very dark and twisted, and the characters are so complex it was always so hard to understand everything they did or said.

and i personally love when a book makes me THINK, and develop theories on why the characters in the story are acting the way that they are and stuff like that, i literally could not stop writing my thoughts on the margins of the book. loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Suicide, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Classism

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

5.0

“Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us. Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that’s why we’re so anxious to loose them.”
The Secret History follows Richard, a poor transfer student from California, who joins an elite classics curriculum on a whim, only to be pulled into the eccentrics and depravity of his six fellow classics students and their encouraging teacher.

As modern classic and inspiration for many of the writing minds of today, I expected to enjoy this novel greatly. However, I could have never predicted the hold it would have on me, even months after reading.

Richard was such an interesting choice as a narrator, since he emulated the “Nick Carroway effect” from the Great Gastby, navigating the line between accomplice and complicit, outsider versus infiltrator.

One aspect of the novel that gets lost in translation is its satirical premise. While it may be easy to romanticize the aspects of the novel Tartt creates, especially the setting, recognizing the privilege, racism, and elitism in higher institutions is an important part of the story.

Overall, for fans of literary fiction with a blend of thriller, I would suggest The Secret History as your next read! But as always, check trigger warnings before reading!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

benotafraid's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

Excellent start, strong middle, slightly let down at the end.

the romance arc with camilla did not need to be the end of her character arc. the epilogue was somewhat bungled

Still, an excellently written book with flawless vibes.

edit to lower rating: a second reread just left me feeling like a lot of the build-up was hollow. the ending really let's the whole book down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicide, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Incest, Self harm, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt

kers_tin's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, and Eating disorder

hettyreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent