Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

293 reviews

carolinebl's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

I wanted to like this book, because I loved Neverwhere and Good Omens, but something was missing.  I would have enjoyed it more as a short story, as was originally intended. I could see certain points about the nature of childhood, but I couldn’t grasp the heart of the story.

The Hempstocks were comforting and the characterisation of ‘Ursula’ was very creative,

so I didn’t struggle to finish the book. The epilogue was one of my favourite sections also, but overall the book did not feel fully fleshed-out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Animal death, and Death

katosta8815's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

I need to try this book again with a different mindset. It was beautifully written, but I wasn’t prepared for the genre. I thought I was getting a “Bridge to Terabithia”-esque story, and I guess it was, plus horror and a lot of “what the heck did I just read?” I enjoyed the book so much more once I realized it was more of a juvenile horror/goth story, and I switched to the audiobook. Overall, the writing was beautiful and the ending was sweet, and I would love to read it again. Next time I’ll be better prepared. I think I would have fallen in love with this book if I knew what I was getting myself into.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Minor: Infidelity

jillybar's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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? No

5.0

Perfect for adults who want to feel that childlike wonder when reading fantasy but with a book that does not feel childish. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Suicide

jessreadseverything's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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 and Child abuse

thecandiegirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Sexual content, Infidelity, Animal death, and Blood

sabsteenwitch's review against another edition

The child abuse scenes were too much for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

tomoonarmy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail

akapaldo's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death

tabookish's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Confinement, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child death, Physical abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Grief

krinaverse's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Animal death