Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

47 reviews

literarykitten's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction and War

boba_nbooks's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

This was my second Simone St. James novel, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! I did prefer The Sun Down Motel, but this was still a worthwhile read. 

Written in a dual timeline, The Broken Girls tells the story of Vermont in the 1950s as well as in 2014. In the 50s, we follow four girls who were sent to Idlewild Hall--a boarding school for "troubled" girls. Each girl has their own struggles and reasons for ending up at Idlewild, and they come together to support each other and protect themselves until one of them goes missing. In 2014, Fiona is a journalist whose sister's body was dumped near Idlewild Hall years ago. Her sister's murderer has been in jail for quite some time, but Fiona wonders if there isn't more to the story. At the same time, someone is trying to restore Idlewild Hall, for reasons Fiona could never imagine, as she has heard nothing but horror stories from that school. Fiona discovers long-forgotten secrets of the school that tie back to her sister, and she will stop at nothing to find the truth and justice for the living and the dead. 

I love how St. James creates dual timelines that slowly begin to relate to each other and reveal more as you continue reading. I thought the four girls from the 1950s were better characters than Fiona from 2014, though I did still appreciate her motivations and character development. 

This well-written mystery/thriller will keep you on your toes and make you think about what you consider "justice."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment

jillie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

4.0

I don’t know what Simone St. James puts in her books but i’m officially obsessed. I doubted how she would tie together the timelines but I shouldn’t have. 

This one took me a little longer to get into than The Book of Cold Cases and The Sun Down Motel, but I was engrossed once I got into it. I really enjoyed the ensemble cast. The romance in this one wasn’t my favorite but it’s such a small plot point that it doesn’t really affect anything. 

November 2023

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Antisemitism, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

kirstym25's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Rape and Antisemitism

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Rape, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Minor: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy

exlibrissum's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

matcha_cat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

eisenbuns's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Major antisemitism, spoiler locked here (it spoils the mystery):

The crux of the historical mystery revolves around the murder of a young holocaust survivor by a former nazi guard from the concentration camp where she was imprisoned. Sorry for spoiling it but there was no good way to warn you about the content.

genevieveokeeffe's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Antisemitism