Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

602 reviews

viccocha's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Racism, and Xenophobia

jrcrawf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape

elysh_kaye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.25

This book made me scream out loud on multiple occasions. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Blood, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

abbeerambles's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

Very good book. I am now concerned for the people who romanticize these characters or want to live this kind of "elite" academia life. The entire point of the book, the WHOLE POINT is to warn readers off of wanting to be like them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent

The N-slur is used, specifically directed toward a middle eastern man. There are many generally racist statements made throughout the book, toward many groups of people. Particularly several antisemitic comments. The F-slur is used several times at the beginning of the book. The characters, including the POV character, use drugs and alcohol gratuitously throughout the book.

The twins are incestuous. It's implied that the male twin Charles is abusive toward the female twin Camilla.

fujo_cat's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Man, this book is something else. I can see why some don't like it and others adore it! I'd personally rate it a 4/5 - 3,5 or 3,75/5 if I was really critic of it but mostly 4/5 for the whole enjoyment of it.

Some critics I see is that the cast lacks personality and no one feels unique or, well, human. I- yeah, in some ways, that is true, I won't deny it. I think that was really evident in the beginning, especially

before Bunny's murder,

but as things develop, so do their behavior.

I think that also shows that showing yourself through your aesthetics and fantasies alone, presenting a fake image of you to others, is going to eventually destroy you and who you love. That final scene with Henry lives rent-free in my head still...

But without going too deep into it, I just really enjoyed the whole ride this had to offer-!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Violence, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Car accident

laner's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

elonzo's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

this book was A Time. the first half captivated me, the 1/2-3/4 mark kinda dragged on in my opinion, and then it was interesting again from 3/4 to the end. i hated all of the characters but i was incredibly invested in them which was a weird feeling. 

things i have to remember to watch out for in my eventual reread:
- cigarettes as a symbol
- weather as a symbol
- julian as a representation of god 
- the outside perspective of the classics students versus the reality of them 
- henry's arc  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Incest

Minor: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

miriamj2000's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

juliettea's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Pretty pretentious and problematic with hardly any redeemable characters although a beautifully written enveloping story. I wouldn’t say I’m in either camp of Bible or abhor but I’m glad I read it. It’s an original story but weirdly felt as if it were written by a man. As Richard’s the narrator, Tartt might’ve done this purposefully so, perhaps I’ll read Goldfinch and see if it translates over. Also, could this have really occurred in the 90s? Of course it’s a more conservative circle, but still seems so dated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

bvrealis's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

«It's a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves? Euripides speaks of the Maenads: head thrown I back, throat to the stars, "more like deer than human being." To be absolutely free! One is quite capable, of course, of working out these destructive passions in more vulgar and less efficient ways. But how glorious to release them in a single burst! To sing, to scream, to dance barefoot in the woods in the dead of night, with no more awareness of mortality than an animal! These are powerful mysteries. The bellowing of bulls. Springs of honey bubbling from the ground. If we are strong enough in our souls we can rip away the veil and look that naked, terrible beauty right in the face; let God consume us, devour us, unstring our bones. Then spit us out reborn.»

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol