Reviews tagging 'Death'

Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner

7 reviews

sabra327's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Grief, Death of parent, Car accident, Confinement, Rape, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

jeehernandez87's review

informative sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was so hard to read at times due to the ugly history of eugenics. Most have heard about the horrors that occurred during the time of WWII, but rarely do you hear of the absolutely evil acts that were being committed in the USA before, during and after that time. The goal of mutilation and murder in many ways mirrored the acts that Hitler and his regime carried out in what most Americans consider “so far away”. It was happening here, in the United States. I found the number of years it continued to happen to be shocking to say the least. 

My heart broke so many times, and I was on the verge of tears throughout so much of this book. Rarely do I feel this emotional when reading, but this one literally gave me all the feels. I don’t want to share spoilers, but near the end there was a moment that gave me goosebumps, and then immediately my heart sank just a bit as I empathized with the character and what this meant for their future. This happened many times throughout the book, and those that read this, will understand. I rarely give five stars but this certainly deserves it. 

On a final note, I think everyone should take the time to learn a bit about this time period, and what was happening in the USA. This was very eye opening for me, especially after reading through the author’s notes at the end. There are books that change you, your perception of history and what you think possible. This book will stay with me long after I finished reading it’s pages. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Genocide

Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Rape, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage

kerrygetsliterary's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Ableism, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, Infidelity, Grief, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Car accident, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, War, and Physical abuse

shawnna_reads2's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, War, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Infertility, and Infidelity

bnelson13's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

This was a very hard but very wonderful book to read. I always enjoy stories where it jumps between timelines, telling a story of the main character in the past and then the main character in the future until they finally meet up in the present, and this one was very well done. A lot of heavy topics in this book, not only of a much older man r*ping a young girl in his care and the consequences of that, but also some of the atrocities of WWII and the Nazi treatment of people with diversabilities. It also deals with forced sterilization and eugenics, both during the war in Europe, but also taking place in the United States. 

Susan Meissner did a wonderful job telling the stories of Rosanne and Helen, and I found that this was a hard book to put down. My heart broke over and over for Rosanne and Helen, and the others of this story, but I'm so wonderfully happy that I was able to read it. It's a really powerful story.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and War

oceanwriter's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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

4.5

Beautifully written and spectacularly researched, Only the Beautiful is everything the summary promises and more.

Mainly following the timelines of 1938 America and 1947 Austria, the book follows Rosie and Helen and their interwoven stories. In 1938, Rosie is sent away because of her misunderstood condition and a surprise pregnancy to what she assumes to be a home for unwed mothers. Years later, Helen comes to learn the truth about what happened to Rosie and the baby.

There are a lot of heavy and perhaps controversial topics in this book that I won't mention due to spoilers. However, I urge people to look into them if they feel it's necessary. I enjoyed reading about these dark times in history even though it was difficult at parts. There was a lot of build-up in the beginning and because of this I felt more attached to Rosie's timeline. The second half picks up considerably, but overall, there's not a dull moment. Despite the dark themes, the book carries a hopeful message.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a free digital ARC of the book to read and review! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

More specific CWs:

forced euthanasia and forced sterilization

meliroo's review

challenging sad

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Ableism, Rape, Racism, Murder, Grief, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Death, Chronic illness, and Antisemitism