Reviews

When the World Didn't End by Guinevere Turner

kmatlydennis's review

challenging dark emotional reflective

4.0

tkelley23's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

ashlobennett's review

dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

3.5

I have so much respect and appreciation for someone to tell their story and truth. I knew nothing of Ms. Turner or the moon people so this book was a total surprise. I loved that it was read by the author. You felt her fierce anger and lived in her story as she told it. It did however feel short in the sense that you only got the scope of her story in the middle. I wanted to know more and what she did after. While some of the people were horrifying, other were interesting. I’m glad she was able to see the monsters for who they were, stand up for herself and get out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, and Pedophilia

sarahmarie094's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

daceymormont's review against another edition

Maybe I’ve just read too many cult memoirs, but this one was not my favorite

theboldbookworm's review against another edition

4.0

Turner writes about her time in The Lyman Family cult as a child and her tumultuous childhood after her mom left the cult. There is so much abuse and heartache in this book. I thought the story was very interesting and engaging despite how sad it is.

chovereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense

I devoured this.

this approach is one I have found in other memoirs -- writing about their childhood self, but staying in the perspective of that child without letting the adult they are now influence that writing. I really really like this. continue to seek it out. the use of the diary entries here was such an addition to the book, I can't imagine it without them.

one thing I got confused about was the dates of the diary entries. I'd forgotten the time period the book started in and the entries before she left the cult were dated '04. I guess I thought it was 2004 even though that didn't seem right. later when she's in public school, they randomly switch to 1980. I believe this was showing she was transitioning from the "Family's time" and that they tracked the years differently. 

my favorite part was when she recounted how she taped a scale from every fish that was caught the summer she lived in MA and recorded all the details in her diary. 

the book did end rather abruptly and it seemed a bit odd to not know more about what happened with the man who took her in and became her legal guardian in high school. but of course, she was writing about her escape, and with him, she was free.

very challenging and difficult subjects for some, check the content warnings! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Religious bigotry

poisonwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Eating disorder

digiacomoa's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

stephnbaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0