Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

14 reviews

lizardgod's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Bullying, Pregnancy, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Medical content, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Medical trauma

kingcrookback's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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

This was pitched to me as a thriller, and while there was tension in this story, I'd say that this is more of a very dark, very sad character study. Gillian Flynn-esque in the sense that it grapples with themes of childhood trauma/abuse and contemplation of motherhood but with timelines not quite so pressing or urgent. It would have been very easy for Tucker to have made Chrissie out to be an inscrutable monster, but while her actions are hideous, she is still a child - pitiable, at times exasperating or ridiculous, but replete with the kind of logic and understanding of the world that fills only those who are still new to life. As for Julia, for a while I couldn't figure out if having and caring (so deeply) for Molly stemmed from a sense of ingrained selfishness or newly developed selflessness, until I figured that it made more sense for the answer to be "both," no clean lines and no clear-cut answer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, Child abuse, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

baudier's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A perfect book, no notes. Surprising themes of sisterhood that will break your heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, Child abuse, and Child death

ashmarie166's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• 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: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death, Child abuse, Bullying, Child death, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

cateyeschloe's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

I read this book twice back to back. 

It’s taken me some time and a second read  to fully process everything this book made me feel, considering it made me feel A LOT. Which is exactly what I look for in a book - something I can emotionally connect with that makes me feel real things. That’s a huge A+ for me. 

However, that definitely doesn’t dampen just how brutally dark, tragic, and devastating this book is. 

The First Day of Spring delves into the ripple affects that mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and genetic mental issues can cause in the life of a young child. 

Chrissie is only eight years old when we meet her and we are introduced as she is murdering another child. From that point on, the book leaps into Chrissie’s history and begs the reader to consider many questions. 

Who would Chrissie be if she were cared for, loved, and not mistreated?

What are the responsibilities of individuals on the outside? The ones looking in who only see glimpses of the tell-tale signs of abuse and neglect? How far should they go to reach out and truly try to help an individual - especially a child - in need?

Is it truly best for a child to stay with their biological parents if one or both parents are mentally ill or in some way simply unable to take care of their child the way they should?

Is it okay for a child to stay with their biological parent who has mental health struggles, but, despite that, is putting in the work to cope and do the best they can to raise their child?

This book paints a very clear picture in the ways, often, that school systems, adoption agencies, police, and children protective services fail children who most desperately need help. How could we, as a society, reform these institutions to better support and care for children in need? What resources could we supply teachers, for instance, with where they could not only better care for kids in school but perhaps even extend help for kids who need it at home?

My first read through, I read this book in a day. The pace is little slower than some, but I didn’t find it sluggish or difficult to get through at all. In fact, I would say the style of writing in this book is some of the best I’ve ever encountered. It manages to blend beauty and poetry with themes of pain and tragedy. I absolutely have to praise the author for an outstanding job of creating prose that is elegant and eloquent despite the devastating scenes she delivers to the reader. 

I found Chrissie’s internal thought process and the way in which she navigates the world to be both fascinating and, at times, unfortunately relatable. If you live with certain forms of mental illness or disorder or if you lived with abuse or neglect growing up, you will definitely find many instances where you can relate to some of Chrissie’s experiences. 

One of the only “flaws” I noticed with this book is the pervasive use of the word “fat” as an insult or derogatory word. However, ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that other kids are actually being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. Nonetheless, the presence of fatphobia is sprinkled throughout. 

The only other issue I noticed in this book was the term “Chinese burn”, which is used twice. I’ve never heard this term, myself, but I do live in the US so perhaps it’s more of a UK phrase. The phrase seems to have the same connotation as “Indian burn” had here in the US, from what I can find online, and because of this I can only assume it’s an outdated, culturally insensitive phrase that probably could have been easily replaced. 

Overall, I think this is an excellent book that I will probably read again in the future. The author delves into much deeper topics than just the murder of a child, and the intricacies of the story are what kept me deeply invested from start to finish. 

There is a lot of nuance in this book and I would definitely recommend not forming judgments as you read but considering every situation from multiple avenues. Chrissie is not always a reliable narrator and it’s important to be able to determine the ways in which things might not always be as she presents them. 

There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this book, and I recommend checking them out if you have any concerns before venturing in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Moderate: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, and Body shaming

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing

Very strong TW for eating disorders! This topic is prevalent throughout the book and is often described very vividly in actions, feelings, and thoughts.

There is an extensive use of the word “fat” as a derogatory term and as an insult in this book. Ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that the other kids are being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. It is very pervasive language used in the book, though.

Death / murder in the book is very vivid and detailed, though not particularly gruesome nor bloody at all.

There are a few brief scenes of domestic abuse involving physical violence, seen through the perspective of a child.

There is one scene between two minors, the girl being 8 and the boy being 12, in which the girl offers to let the boy put his hand inside her underwear. He does and just leaves his hand there for a few moments before leaving, supposedly embarrassed.

There is one scene in the book that talks about an adult’s first time having sex. The adult doesn’t really seem to have much of an understanding of what sex is or how it works, and this definitely creates a sense of dubious consent, at best. This character never seems to enjoy the act, either, and the entire scene is intentionally very uncomfortable.

lou_o_donnell's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Confinement

hellokatya's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

this book was not what i had expected going in. i hoped for something different, but it was a very good read. it brings a sort of empathy you would never expect to have, and really broke my heart time and time again. wouldn’t recommend to anyone, but is one i’ll think about for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Murder and Alcoholism

Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

hitnoises's review

dark hopeful 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Not the best book ever but certainly a solid one. The ending felt a bit abrupt to me and I probably wouldn't reread but I don't regret reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child death, Abandonment, and Child abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Murder

novelyon's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Vomit

Minor: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts

annabulkowski's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infertility, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Child death, and Vomit