Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Dark Places - Gefährliche Erinnerung by Gillian Flynn

81 reviews

stellahadz's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

This was a solid mystery novel -- in classic Gillian Flynn fashion, some aspects of the book were incredibly disturbing (see content warnings), but never so much that I stopped wondering how the story would turn out. The plot twist isn't nearly as shocking as the ones in Sharp Objects or Gone Girl (the former, by the way, probably being the best plot twist I've ever seen in any thriller novel), but I definitely didn't see it coming. 

I felt pretty lukewarm about the whole "Satan worship" aspect of the story -- maybe I've listened to too much of the podcast You're Wrong About, which has several episodes dedicated to debunking Satanic Panic-era myths. (Side note: I'm very curious about whether that show's host, Sarah Marshall, has read this book!) I also wasn't a fan of the way Ben was essentially absolved of his behavior, but as far as we know he stays in prison, which is fine by me.

In an interestingly self-aware way, Dark Places addresses the morbid curiosity of true crime "fans," which sometimes spirals into boundary-crossing if not downright creepy and borderline abusive behavior towards survivors like Libby (although she cleverly spins that behavior to her own advantage). It would be interesting to see how different the story would be if it had been published in the era of social media and true-crime podcasts. Despite Libby describing herself as mean and unlikable, I couldn't help but feel for her and I enjoyed the dynamic of her friendship(?) with Lyle. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in "whodunnit" type stories and the theme of true crime (despite this story not being based on actual events), or anyone who enjoys Flynn's other work. Definitely check out the content warnings before reading, though, because certain plot points might be disturbing and distressing for some readers, even beyond what can normally be expected of a thriller novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual content

b00kishnurse's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Body horror, Vomit, Murder, Animal death, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

brennsteez's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Definitely my least favorite Gillian Flynn book but still such a dark, twisty, captivating story. The ending was a little unsatisfying but I enjoyed getting there enough that I don’t think it bothers me too much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Pregnancy and Alcoholism

zosia3's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Drug abuse, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

miggyfool's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Fatphobia, Ableism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury

uniquelymace's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Gaslighting, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

hcassell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Gillian Flynn at her best. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Bullying, Animal death, Violence, Physical abuse, Death, Cursing, Child death, Blood, Body horror, Alcoholism, Grief, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse

systemofanoun's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Another Gillian Flynn novel about a seemingly unlikable woman with a hardened exterior, questionable morals, and something to say about everything. Out of her big three, this would have to place second for me.

The characters in this novel really stood out compared to her other works, they felt very true to life and more fleshed out. They reflect people you’ve known and come across in your life. Most if not all being deeply flawed, some exhibited a good deal of character development,others….none whatsoever. It’s frustrating but ultimately real.

As for the murders, it wasn’t totally predictable but it wasn't what I would consider a mystery.

At many points, I felt as if I was being spoonfed the answers and it made it less exciting when they were just that, answers, not revaluations. Even the “big twist” wasn’t one at all in my opinion, I think subtlety is where Gillian Flynn falls short a lot of the time, she writes with so much self-awareness and then drops the ball.

All that being said it was still a fun read! If you’re familiar with Gillian Flynn’s pacing then expect nothing different from this book,iykyk. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Vomit

abception's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Drug use

Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism

libelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, and Pregnancy