Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

12 reviews

craftyanty's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

I found this book engaging from beginning to end.  Every time I had to stop listening, I couldn't help planning how quickly I'd be able to get back to it.  I loved the characters and how they interconnected. 

I've read this author's work before, but this one felt different to me. It often felt like a cross between Fredrik Bachman's Beartown and Sean Dietrich's Kinfolk.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Incest, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Animal death

dkmorello's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

Riveting story of secrets and love along the Alabaster River in Minnesota. The characters are rich and flawed. Nearly all the men are broken in small and big ways by world wars, and nearly all the women hold secrets that threaten their families and children. Highly recommend this book: The characters soar, the action unfolds at a brisk pace, and the central character, Brody, has a strong moral compass. The character of Brody is similar to Titus in All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby, specifically the moral compass. The author does a masterful job of moving the plot forward, even as he fills the story with bits of the past; chapters stayed chronological as opposed to splitting into flashback chapters. Thanks for that.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, War, Incest, Physical abuse, and Blood

killerpancake's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

I really like WKK’s books and this one was good but not my favorite. There’s no big dramatic reason either, it just didn’t grab me as much as the last one I read. The mystery was probably the least interesting part of the book and the focus on the town and characters was lovingly done. It also addresses some dark topics that are portrayed with care. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Racism, Incest, and Child abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Suicide attempt

kimreads14's review

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a great match 🫤 while I can understand the appeal of this book for some, it didn’t work out for me. 

Here are a few reasons why: 
- Sheriff Brody: I thought he was the least interesting character of them all, and he’s pretty much the leading “voice”. There are a few narrators in the book, but Brody’s voice is the one that comes up the most often. 
The books concentrate on the idea that everyone has secrets and that these secrets are likely to come and bite you in the “derrière”.  Yet, Brody’s main secret

his affair with his SISTER IN LAW

is discovered by Evangeline and… well nothing happens??? I mean seriously? I get that Evangeline herself has a big secret but… yeah no I’m sorry it doesn’t work for me

- The pacing: jeez was this book long… I even have a progress note that says “Things are happening and yet it feels like nothing is happening.” I only thought the pacing improved when Charlie took over part of the narration.

Honestly, the only reason I kept going with this book was Charlie and her chapters. Scott’s were ok but Charlie was the real start in this book. 

A few points to explain why I still gave it 2.5 ⭐️:
- Charlie: see above
- The fact that regardless of pacing and my hate for Brody this book still offers a good setting and discussion of American society in the 50s and the state of mind regarding the fall out of the two World Wars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Cursing, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, War, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence

amandalachelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Incest, Torture, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Suicide, and War

shawnna_reads2's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

readerworm's review against another edition

emotional mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Racism

zoeysdigest's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It’s one of my favourite reads of 2023. Beautifully written! Found myself not wanting the book to end.

If you’re looking for a book that transports you to another place, that makes you feel and love the characters like you were there, that makes you question your own biases and prejudices— this is the read for you  ◡̈ 
🎯 characters had believable psyche, presented with nuance specifically exploring how pain and trauma impacts decisions. No character was faultless, like real life.
🎯 plot developed at a perfect pace, with mystery unfolding and characters developing appropriately.
🎯 lovable characters (really makes you feel for them!)
🎯 a takeaway that stays with you. Specifically how we see “outsiders”, our sense of entitlement, and our prejudices.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

loririder71's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Sometimes I felt like there were too many story lines happening and the involvement of the kids was my least favorite part.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Incest, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Murder, and War

laurajenkins's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Murder