Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

10 reviews

nad_books623's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is the saddest book I've ever read. I took multiple breaks to be able to get through this book and it can definitely be a huge trigger warning for someone. Even though it is written in third person the story is real and raw. I felt connected to the characters and the trauma they've been through especially for Mungo. The beginning was pretty slow and I didn't really care for the ending. I wish the ending was more definite but if the author wanted to write a sequel he could do it based off how it ended. 

What's funny to me is how Jodie at first seems like one of the only redeeming characters but she's just as cruel to Mungo as Maureen and Hamish. Also, it's beyond disgusting how his mother let him go with two strange men who are pedophiles.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Abortion

Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

bookmark3brodi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Pregnancy

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? No

4.0

I think the author may have had a very sad life based on the two books I’ve now read. But both those one and Shuggie Bains have great protagonists - young men with the deck stacked against them since birth but who continue to learn their value and insist that they matter and eventually figure out how to hang into the most important part of themselves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

torismazarine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

maggiemaryamos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

hypocrisis's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

felt like i was being wrung out like a wet towel, truly gut wrenching passages in there which is why i had to shelve it for a couple of months before reading the second half. there are beautiful moments of hope but you never get to savour them as the inevitable next chapter looms over peaceful scenes like a dark cloud. 
what i love about stuart's work is the realistically complex full characterisation of the families in his books, once again the mother figure sticks out in this regard. definitely worth a read if you can stomach it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Excrement, Abortion, and Outing

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

lrose's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal death, Incest, and Abortion

lovan's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion

marijne's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

orndal's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism