Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

18 reviews

bre88's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

It’s not for everyone and a book I would need to read a couple times to catch everything. You have to power through the first couple of chapters but the book does become immersive and I don’t regret reading it. There’s multiple layers of stories and you feel yourself chasing to keep up like the protagonist.  I can’t say it was the best thing I’ve ever read; however, I can’t stop thinking about the story and characters. It was interesting and challenging and the kind of book you need to discuss with a friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Grief, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Death, Mental illness, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, and Self harm

Minor: Animal cruelty

meg_elyse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Death, Excrement, Medical content, Bullying, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Incest

khbenedik's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I generally enjoyed this book - it was beautifully written and narrated by the two narrators in the audiobook, had a suspenseful Gothic feel, and is layered with interact details that build upon the dark family mysteries. That being said, I had issues with some of the plot points and it felt like the last 25% of the book was anticlimactic and wrapped up too quickly after all the build up.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

emturnspages's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, Incest, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

t_higgsreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

5 Stars
CAWPILE = 9.43

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Terminal illness, Self harm, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Medical content

lestatsoul's review against another edition

dark 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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

laurenleigh's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Is there a more satisfying feeling than finally crossing a book off your TBR? Especially when it’s been there for years?! This deeply atmospheric novel did not disappoint. I only wish I had read it in the winter though. Its slow pace, its setting in the moors, and its numerous mentions of cocoa made me wish I was curled up in wool socks by the fire while reading this somewhat spooky tale. It wasn’t quite in sync with my summer vibes at the moment. If you’re a fan of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, or just a true lover of fiction in general, I recommend this one. It’s not just an homage to those classic works of literature, it celebrates that we all have our own stories to tell. Our birth and our life are a tale we’re constantly editing and inevitably mythologizing. We don’t even know ourselves what is “truth” and what is fiction at some moments, but there’s a magic nonetheless in finding special people to whom you can trust your story. The audiobook was lovely, and both narrators had terrific English accents. The ending was completely satisfying, which can ring false for me sometimes, but felt perfectly in keeping with this book’s trajectory.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Terminal illness, and Child death

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

anni_swanilda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Grief, Terminal illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Incest