Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

31 reviews

ginabyeg's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book will definitely give you a taste of nursing in the early 1900’s. Story is fast-paced, engaging from the start, told from the perspective of a still-single nurse in the maternity ward during the 1918-pandemic. Some parts get rather graphic. There are themes of life/death, trauma, and religion. While the book was published in 2020, the author had finished it before that time. I find this makes the character’s insights in the book even more powerful, somehow, and the parallels between then and now extra startling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Child death, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Death, Blood, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and War

swhitzel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.5

 I have so many thoughts, all of them conflicting.

Generally, this was a beautiful story, but it also seemed quite abrupt (in its ending) and felt as though it had little resolution. Based on the synopsis, I expected more of a relationship to develop between the three main women, and yet the connections felt superficial and forced. They go nowhere, but they also had so much potential!

Also, the depictions of birth and the medical situations were quite graphic. I often found myself sick to my stomach at some of the descriptions, especially early on.

Now that I'm writing this, I think I enjoyed the potential of this story more than the actual story itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Pregnancy, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child death, War, Classism, Sexism, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide attempt and Suicide

mekilouise's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.0

A difficult but somehow still heartwarming read. We spend a couple days with Nurse Powers in the Maternity/Fever ward and learn about love, loss, womanhood, and the violence of childbirth.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Child death

Minor: Child abuse

isaaah's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Medical content, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Classism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, and Child abuse

Minor: Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Infertility, Suicide, Slavery, Excrement, Miscarriage, and Abandonment

bessadams's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Blood, Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Death, Grief, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Vomit, and War

kiwialexa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

stargirlmolly's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Classism, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide, Child abuse, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Ableism

Minor: War and Violence

plottwisttravels's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death of parent

sarahflanders's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, Grief, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Gore, Miscarriage, Vomit, Child death, and Child abuse

citrusboombox's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent