Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

145 reviews

nikkibisbee's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

leonkaspar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Cancer, Classism, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Addiction, Medical content, Rape, and Sexual assault

bookshelfhannah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

imlfox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Bullying, Classism, and Medical content

alicefaye_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

rachelhodgkins's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Suicide, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Bullying

marnash's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I found this book incredibly touching, despite it's very morbid and depressing plot. Almost all of the characters were loveable, even the ones you wouldn't think could be, even the ones that loving them also includes feeling sorry for them. It's a touching and complicated tale of addiction and the way it affects the lives of the addict and the people closest to them. It's heartbreaking but such an important subject, and helps to better understand the effect of addiction on the children of the addict and their relationship. It also quite accurately depicts the cicle that addicts go through in their attempt to become/stay sober. Working with addicts in my Social Work training makes me all the more sympathetic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Violence

bethvance's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Addiction, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent and Classism

clellman's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

5.0

This book is emotionally devastating. While the title character is Shuggie, Agnes is arguably the more central figure. There is intimacy, love, denial, self destruction, and wanting yourself to be different. It was super engrossing in a particular time and place ('80s Glasgow council housing) and the written out dialect was incredible and had me reading out loud to myself. Best book I've read in a while.

For me, it evoked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, En finir avec Eddy Belleguele, and A Little Life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Addiction, Sexual assault, Violence, Bullying, and Homophobia

bw23's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.75

Well written, excellent portraiture of alcoholism but a slow tough read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts