Reviews tagging 'Death'

There There by Tommy Orange

181 reviews

stellahadz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Tommy Orange can definitely write - the prologue was powerful and pulled me right into the book. It was interesting to read about urban Indigenous people in the US, and I really liked the premise of the story. That being said, I felt like there was something missing, but I can't put my finger on exactly what it is - maybe there were too many characters? It took me a while to remember who was who, which I think made the story drag a bit. There are quite a few loose ends by the end of the book, which is odd because the ending itself feels extremely rushed. I know there's a sequel (which I will probably read), but I feel like the story could have been wrapped up in a single book. 

If you liked this book (particularly the multiple-narrator technique), you might also enjoy Katherena Vermette's The Break (and the two follow-up novels, The Strangers and The Circle). It follows various members of a Métis community in Winnipeg and recounts the story of a crime and its aftermath through all of their perspectives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide

Moderate: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Racism

Minor: Excrement

madsreads1995's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Blood, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Death

leila_scola's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Death

amandaevans's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

3.0

I did enjoy this book, don’t get me wrong. But I personally have such a hard time with books that are told from so many POV’s. 

There are twelve main characters in this book. Twelve. And they all have their own POV chapters. Some people love this, but for me I have such a hard time keeping up with the different characters and timelines in a story such as this one. 

I loved the reflection of the native people and the urban communities of native Americans, as I’ve never really encountered anything like this, but overall the story fell kinda flat for me. It was kinda hard to get into because of the layout. I found myself being more confused trying to keep up than anything else. 

But it is an interesting, and important story overall. I think it is crucial to read and hear marginalized stories from marginalized peoples. So for that aspect, I would highly recommend.

Worth the read, but good to know the layout beforehand if you are someone that struggles with this kind of writing style. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Pregnancy, Addiction, Blood, Alcohol, Death, and Car accident

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Cancer, Death, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Car accident, Suicide, Mental illness, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Alcohol, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Sexual violence

cass_ward's review against another edition

5.0

if i had a way to rate this higher, i would. read the trigger warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Abandonment, and Addiction

Minor: Pregnancy, Fatphobia, and Rape

buttercat42's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Suicide, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Death

siaeme12's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Other people here have explained far better than I could so I'll leave it at this: There There was lyrically written and thought provoking. It was real, intense, and well woven. Definitely recommend, but know that there is discussion of substance abuse, violence against women, gun violence, poverty, and other things that come alongside deep rooted systemic oppression. This isn't a light read by any means, but it is certainly an important one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Colonisation, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Racism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cancer

language_loving_amateur's review

challenging dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

I feel like I would need a second read through with a character chart to understand the basics of what is happening in There There, let alone fully understand it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Colonisation, Blood, Genocide, Death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Domestic abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, Self harm, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Excrement, Rape, Suicide, Abandonment, and Fatphobia

aj_mooney's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Each voice in this ensemble narrative is distinct and compelling. Tommy Orange combines history, rage, humor, and heart in this important look into urban indigenous life. I was completely engrossed in the story until its explosive ending. I would argue this is a must read for all people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Gun violence, Blood, Death, and Mass/school shootings