Scan barcode
miaaa_lenaaa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The pacing was good and the characters were good i just have liked a little more tension throughout and more info about the backstory
‘Nothing ever happened at Catherine’
‘I stared into the mirror. Days. I could see them all, all the days, reflecting into each other forever. Mirrors repeating against mirrors.’
‘You see the world sideways, like a stranger.’
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Forced institutionalization
celery's review
- 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: Pregnancy, Body horror, Kidnapping, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
sehenry20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Alcohol
emlittle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thomas really did do a beautiful job of building a school that had all the makings of elite: shiny and mysterious from the outside and dusty and chipped when you look too closely. We experience Catherine through a character who would rather observe than interact so we get to see it all. The excessive wine drinking, the overly rich food, the drafty library and gallery. The imagery is consistently strong throughout the whole book.
The way she handles our leading woman, Ines, is a pretty unique experience. Even though we experience Catherine through Ines’s eyes, she’s either so detached or dissociated that rarely do we get a glimpse at what she thinks or feels. We know everything that happens to her but never really get to know how she feels about it. Her past is alluded to, but otherwise we get to know little about her even in the rare instance she does connect with another character. The only time we get to know something about her is when other characters plainly state things about her. Much like Catherine House, Ines is elusive and more of a concept than a noun.
The story over all is pretty slow until it isn’t. The first 2/3 of the book is an atmospheric fever dream, while the last 1/3 is cerebral thriller. So again— if mostly vibes and not a lot of plot isn’t your thing, Catherine House isn’t for you. Overall, I did really like this book. However, it could’ve been stronger if the bulk of the story punched as hard as the last ~120 pages did.
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, and Confinement
mirnda's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Body horror
medini_l's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Sexual content, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
michaelat21's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
heytherekaity's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Torture, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Alcohol, Confinement, Body horror, and Forced institutionalization
encryptedorchardpest's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
thebookraiders's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Confinement and Forced institutionalization