Reviews tagging 'Death'

Hämmästys by Richard Powers

24 reviews

gentle_human's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Self harm, Animal death, Child death, Grief, Suicide, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Ableism

mdordine's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

audragio's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

This man just completely ignored everyone’s concerns for his child and everything that happens after that is COMPLETELY HIS FAULT. One of the most frustrating books I’ve ever read. Most hard headed character I’ve ever seen in Theo. Hated him. Also, did he not mention having another child in the beginning? And 11 year old? So Robin is the favorite. Got it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders

izzybell's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Child death, and Death of parent

m4rtt4's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

Like Overstory, this book also gave me so much to think about — what is important in life, what even is life? It was also highly emotional and gave an interesting insight on raising a child on the spectrum. This book had so much potential, but it aimed too high. There were so much interesting concepts like decoded neurofeedback and the whole near-future dystopian world with all its catastrophes; it's almost criminal of Powers to create such future scenarios and only mention them in a single sentence, a fleeting moment. I was very intrigued at first, but I lost my interest more and more towards the ending because I knew that I'd never get the explanations I wanted. In that way the story kind of stayed true to itself, though — just like me, we as a society will never know enough about this world and all our answers might be wrong. The ending was lame, it was too dramatic for no reason and the results weren't even properly dealt with.

the death of Robin was so unnecessary and didn't even give the story any emotional value as it was just quietly swept under the carpet — also you just can't end the book by him dying without even telling us the consequences?? just let him live, his death didn't even have the symbolic impact of 'we humans are doomed' as it probably was intended to.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Ableism, Violence, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Car accident

emcsquared's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Self harm

hippejulia's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Aika masentava kuvaus jostain lähitulevaisuudesta joka ei edes ole ilmastokriisikuvauksillaan niin kauana todellisuudesta. Paikoitellen minusta vähän ableistinen. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Ableism, and Mental illness

Minor: Medical content and Infidelity

jamesdavid's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Death of parent

booksinherhead's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I haven’t read something so destructive to my own happiness in a long time. But it was so so good.

BEWILDERMENT by Richard Powers is not for the faint of heart--especially those who are sensitive to the climate crisis.  But for those ready for an emotional novel--with high reward, this is the perfect read. This novel follows an astrobiologist named Theo as he navigates raising his sensitive son Robin in the aftermath of his wife's death.  With the help of cutting edge technology and his wife's memory--Theo thinks he just might be able to raise Robin by himself.  With lush scientific language and a poignant father-son dynamic, this novel is one to remember.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Car accident

julied's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Child death, Grief, and Death