Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones

4 reviews

annabulkowski's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Incest, Infertility, Gun violence, Grief, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, and Confinement

jennikreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

5.0

 HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE tells the stories of a handful of people in an island town. Two very traumatic things happen right at the beginning of the story that set the stage for the story to unfold. It’s a little bit mystery and a whole lot character study. 

 

This is gorgeously written and I could not put it down. The story that unfolds is so layered and nuanced. I loved that Jones would slip in the stories of other characters, told from their perspectives, that we could easily assume we would only hear about from the perspectives of others. It gave such a rich entangled feel to the story and made your heart ache just that much more for the central characters. 

 

I was honestly very hesitant to read this one after hearing everyone who mentioned it shout from the roof top that it was brutal and the list of content warnings (right fully so) were endless. But, a fellow bookstagrammer spoke about it in a way that intrigued me and when I reached out to ask her about her reading experience. She assured me that it is not gratuitous. And that’s absolutely true. 

 

The violence and abuse in this book are absolutely unsettling, and will genuinely trigger some people, but they are not without context and they are never there for the sake of shock. While the content warnings span the entire length of the novel, there are definitely what I would call breaks from that type of content to let your mind breathe. 

 

All that to say, that if you, like me, were unsure whether this would be for you, give it a go, but please review the content warnings first. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

readswithnatalieb's review against another edition

dark emotional

3.5

 

This story is incredibly hard hitting and emotional to where it has the potential to haunt you long after you’ve read the final page. 

 

The second I finished this audiobook, I will be honest to say I didn’t think I liked it. But after thinking about the story more and more, I did like the story, but perhaps the audiobook wasn’t for me. The story is so dark and emotional, but the narrator is monotone. I struggled with keeping up with the characters and events to where rewinding was necessary. 

 

You will read (or listen) to a lot of depressing and graphic scenes. With how dark this story is, it could be unenjoyable if you’re not one for heavy books. There is a lot going on in this book but ultimately, I found this story shedding light on the domestic violence that women in poverty are susceptible to. Not only does it affect the woman in harm, but it can lead to intergenerational trauma. 

 

Content warnings: murder, death of a child, emotional and physical abuse, rape, infidelity, kidnapping. 

 

If you choose to read this book, I would suggest reading over listening if you’re able. After reading a few reviews, readers mentioned the lyrical poetic style of writing which I know I would have appreciated. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Child death, Rape, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

freidakb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent