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dark
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault
dark
funny
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, War
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
“But the raw, sheer edge of her misery was blunted; she had learnt to cope, even to survive, by deviousness, by reading, and, as always, by day-dreaming.”
if sixteen-year-old me had been able to read this book, i would’ve made it my whole personality.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization
funny
mysterious
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
From the very first sentence this book completely captured my attention. I picked this up at the library, sat down and did not move until I had finished.
The writing was so lyrical, witty and intelligent I fell in love with this world that Barker was building. I loved how the main character found beauty in what is generally considered ugly; snakes, mushrooms, moors, Latin and the Gothic.
I wish I could say more, I really do. I just have so much to say I cannot get anything out in words! This was just utterly fantastic. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a slightly more alternative bildungsroman!
The writing was so lyrical, witty and intelligent I fell in love with this world that Barker was building. I loved how the main character found beauty in what is generally considered ugly; snakes, mushrooms, moors, Latin and the Gothic.
I wish I could say more, I really do. I just have so much to say I cannot get anything out in words! This was just utterly fantastic. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who's looking for a slightly more alternative bildungsroman!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a good long while, I've been looking forward to reading this, but never could I have imagined how it would impress, engross, and thoroughly shock me. It checks so many of my boxes: a country estate in Scotland, a midcentury bildungsroman, a mysterious death, and the most beautiful, lyrical, atmospheric writing.
Truly, Barker's style is astounding. From the very first page, I was enraptured, grateful that I'd chosen to start this with my entire Sunday afternoon lying leisurely before me. The descriptions of the landscape in particular were just delicious, especially as someone familiar with Scotland's lush hills and wet winds.
By the time I'd made it to the last chapter, with less than a dozen pages to go, I was simply dying to get to the forewarned end. And genuinely, I can't remember the last time an ending truly shocked me, but, oh, did this one!
Usually, I'm not impressed when an author starts off with a prologue that reveals most of the ending, but in this case, it worked brilliantly. Caught up in Janet's early life and youthful self-absorption, even within the space of the afternoon that I read this, I would almost forget how close her untimely death was, only to be startled by the reminder. Looking back on it now, the foreshadowing is so clear, and yet it creeps up on you just as death did Janet. I'd love to go back, knowing what I know now, to capture all the clues that I must have missed.
Short, atmospheric, beautifully written, and a little bit spooky — what is not to love here? This is a book unlike any I've ever read before and one I wholeheartedly recommend.
Truly, Barker's style is astounding. From the very first page, I was enraptured, grateful that I'd chosen to start this with my entire Sunday afternoon lying leisurely before me. The descriptions of the landscape in particular were just delicious, especially as someone familiar with Scotland's lush hills and wet winds.
By the time I'd made it to the last chapter, with less than a dozen pages to go, I was simply dying to get to the forewarned end. And genuinely, I can't remember the last time an ending truly shocked me, but, oh, did this one!
Usually, I'm not impressed when an author starts off with a prologue that reveals most of the ending, but in this case, it worked brilliantly. Caught up in Janet's early life and youthful self-absorption, even within the space of the afternoon that I read this, I would almost forget how close her untimely death was, only to be startled by the reminder. Looking back on it now, the foreshadowing is so clear, and yet it creeps up on you just as death did Janet. I'd love to go back, knowing what I know now, to capture all the clues that I must have missed.
Short, atmospheric, beautifully written, and a little bit spooky — what is not to love here? This is a book unlike any I've ever read before and one I wholeheartedly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder
Minor: War
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I felt clever when I realized that O Caledonia is like a twisted & tragic “I Capture the Castle,” as seen through a funhouse mirror, with Wednesday Addams as the protagonist. Then, I read Maggie O’Farrell’s introduction, which I saved for last to avoid spoilers, and saw that she made the same literary comparison. Despite its short length, I didn’t find this a fast read. It is, however, witty and darkly atmospheric with a keen attention to language.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexual assault
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault