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kirstym25's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Body shaming
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
saritachr's review
dark
emotional
reflective
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
sarah_dietrich's review
medium-paced
2.0
Tama the magpie was an interesting character, but the humans were all one-dimensional caricatures. The writing felt lazy. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at the way Instagram is used as a major plot point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Domestic abuse
arsa_charles's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really liked this. Seeing the world from the POV of a magpie was a really cool technique. The divide between the brutal magpie world and the complex human world was very interesting to see.
Marnie was a wonderful character, so developed and complex and human. You feel in her shoes the whole way
Rob is a monster.
The lives of Marnie, Rob and Tama as a strange screwed up family is well written but boy it is heavy. Rob is abusive and violent and Catherine Chidgey doesn’t hold back on details.
By the end I was speeding through just so I could find out if the story ends happily.
A masterwork in building and sustaining tension, 4.5 stars only because it was too bleak at points for me.
Marnie was a wonderful character, so developed and complex and human. You feel in her shoes the whole way
Rob is a monster.
The lives of Marnie, Rob and Tama as a strange screwed up family is well written but boy it is heavy. Rob is abusive and violent and Catherine Chidgey doesn’t hold back on details.
By the end I was speeding through just so I could find out if the story ends happily.
A masterwork in building and sustaining tension, 4.5 stars only because it was too bleak at points for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
andicbuchanan's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
5.0
I love Chidgey's work and while I'm not a "talking animal book" person most of the time, this is the exception. It absolutely lures you in - and does all these really clever things where you're not sure how much Tama understands. It went for the deeply satisfying ending rather than the morally complex ending it could have been (though maybe if you're a more moral person than I you will find it complex) and while that left me with questions I was also delighted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
o0juju0o's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
readily_reads's review
5.0
I wasn’t sure when I heard the narrator was a magpie but I throughly enjoyed this book. Smart writing and felt I was walking a tightrope with the tension. Deserves the accolades and loved recognising the NZ scenery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
bjlinard's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
4.25
The Axeman’s Carnival is set on a New Zealand sheep farm and is narrated by a magpie named Tama. It sounds unusual but for me it worked. I was captivated by his voice and delightful personality from the first page, and willing to go with his odd mix of avian and human traits. Three intertwined storylines focus on the realities of farming including financial pressures, the pros and cons of becoming famous on social media, and domestic violence. I felt Tama’s voice stopped this book feeling too heavy. His inappropriate repeating of what he overheard and his misunderstandings added more than a dash of humour, while in no way minimising the issue of domestic violence. My one criticism was the ending which felt a little too contrived and convenient. I’d love to know why it ended the way it did, instead of the way I felt it could have, and which would have been more in keeping with the rest of the story. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Animal death
daffodilcherry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
4.0
A book that held my attention through its wonderful prose and the charismatic presence of Tama, the magpie we live this world through.
Wheelhouses: animal pov, family drama, beautiful prose, upcoming tension, viral internet sensations.
Wheelhouses: animal pov, family drama, beautiful prose, upcoming tension, viral internet sensations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism