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minxtte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Grief, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Sexism, Drug use, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Drug abuse
Minor: Car accident, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Homophobia
cady_sass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Self harm, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, and Suicide
book_reader_lover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Saffaron and Ansley both grew up in foster care. One rises through the ranks of the NYHP, the other is on death row. This book goes through the last day of Ansley's life. It looks at all the women, who have taken some part in his life.
It is heart wrenching, realistic and shows the choices we make in our life ultimately define us. I would pass it if you like happy endings, or genres other than suspense, crime, or true crime. ‼️There is violence toward women‼️
😊 Happy Reading 📚😊
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
caitlin_davis22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Abandonment, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, and Drug abuse
isapizza16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Told in alternating POVs, Notes on an Execution is the story of Ansel Packer, a convicted killer on death row, and of the women whose lives he impacted, both directly and indirectly.
I don’t say this often, but this novel is a work of art. In the beginning, I found it to be a bit of a slow read, but I was pretty quickly drawn in by the beautiful writing and masterful way the plot unfolded. Towards the end there were so many lines that were absolutely heartbreaking and brutal to read, and I loved the themes of justice, memory, morality, and perspective that were woven throughout an already captivating narrative. This is the kind of book I’d love to analyze formally or teach as part of a class, because there are so many small but meaningful aspects that deserve thoughtful attention.
As a full disclaimer, I don’t know that this book will be for everyone—it is definitely literary fiction, which simply doesn’t land with every reader (I have to be in the right headspace for it, personally), and it is definitely an extremely difficult set of topics to read about. But personally, I’m so glad I read it, and will definitely be revisiting it again in the future.
Recommended if you like: literary-fiction-meets-murder-books; reflections on the meaning of justice; multiple interwoven POVs and timelines.
CW: Death/murder; domestic violence; abandonment; child abuse/neglect; animal death/cruelty; drug use/abuse.
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief
nataliereadz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
LOVED the second person perspective as we looked through the eyes and beat through the heart of the protagonist killer on death row, counting down the days, hours and minutes while digging deep into the lives of the women he scarred along his path to the injection chair.
The author's prose is silky, and ghost like. Total chills. Masterful!
Graphic: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, Murder, and Animal cruelty
mlindsay27's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexism
cass_lit's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Child abuse
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
sydapel's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, Drug use, Murder, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Drug abuse