Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

11 reviews

emzhay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Torture

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

stories's review against another edition

mysterious reflective

2.5

Interesting but very sweary: not for the primary classroom. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual violence

euphemiajo's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Death, Violence, and Bullying

Minor: Blood, Cancer, and Abandonment

mandkips's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use, Animal death, and Sexual content

thenovelmaura's review

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

I'm actually shocked this one is a novella because my main critique is that it should have been shorter! I think I would have preferred reading the short story version since it would have conveyed the main concepts in a more succinct format. Overall, I loved how deeply this book made me think about human consumption and the fact that we're painfully close to living in Garbagetown ourselves. Tetley was the best kind of narrator for a journey through this bleak, ruthless world: a relentlessly optimistic girl who truly loves the post-apocalyptic trash heap that she lived on. The deeply depressing themes and setting are offset by hilarious details like how the people in Garbagetown get their names.

Again, I wish the storyline hadn't been drawn out quite so long, and the twist ending wasn't very satisfying, for some reason I can't put my finger on. (A side note for audiobook fans: the narrator's voice was quite grating and it took me a long time to get used to her affected cockney accent, although I understand why they chose to go that route with the narration.) This was a recommendation from a dear friend, and while I didn't love it as much as she did, I agree that it was an intriguing, worthwhile read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death

Minor: Drug use

triley's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Blood, Drug use, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Grief, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

bex_knighthunterbooks's review

hopeful reflective slow-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

4.5

I loved this hopeful story of a girl living on the great pacific garbage patch after the climate apocalypse. The writing was very stylised, which helped Tetley's personality come through and felt realistic for a setting generations into the future, where words have different meanings. I was a little confused at times, but ultimately really enjoyed reading this. The story is more slice-of-life than plot-heavy, which I did like, especially as Tetley's outlook is so positive and charming, and yet we still get to see character growth between the two parts. But, there were also a few twists I didn't anticipate which worked wonderfully. The world building was also mesmerising with strikingly beautiful and absurd imagery, which meant the story felt like a mix between sci-fi and magical realism or fairytale, with a dash of humour. It was also really powerful, with many points that made me think - particularly on the themes of hope (the different places it can be found and the dangers it can bring), consumption and ownership. Would recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Sexual content

kristenelle's review

challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

4.75

This was strange. At points, I was really unsure how I felt about it, but by the end I wanted more! The main character is a perpetually content person very a la Candide. The setting is a future Earth that is completely covered with ocean; the only human survivors live on floating garbage. 

When I was unsure about this story it was because: a) I disliked the cruelty. (It is kept light and comedic and background, but still.) b) I wish that some of the major events had been described a little more concretely. c) I don't think I buy the actual possibility of people surviving on floating garbage. 

But my loves outweigh those things! Loves: 
-the edgy, poetic prose
-the imagination and description of the world
-the philosophical presentation
-the main character
-the hopeful nihilism 

Sexual violence? Not that I recall. Other content warnings? Nihilism, torture, dysfunctional family, child neglect/abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit

Moderate: Grief and Death

Minor: Torture, Child abuse, and Drug use

aardwyrm's review

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

Stylized, surrealist weirdness makes excellent set-dressing for the relentlessly serious. Nothing about the novella makes anything like sense, but it's very pretty and at the same time gruesome, which is the best kind of pretty.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Infertility, and Mental illness

perditorian's review

adventurous funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Torture

Moderate: Animal death and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use