Reviews tagging 'Death'

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

87 reviews

ryxthree's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Moderate: Murder and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Physical abuse

ashwaar's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

4.5

This is another book I’ve read from my long list of classics and I really enjoyed it! I hadn’t heard of it before but it has been claimed as the first narrative non-fiction novel and whether that’s true or not, it was done really well. It’s a fascinating look into a seemingly motiveless crime in rural Kansas. Capote keeps the reader engaged throughout as you learn about and even sympathise with those involved in this chilling quadruple homicide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Rape, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

gh1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Murder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic friendship

jbrown1120's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual violence, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Sexism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

kylielf's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

3.25

I originally thought this book was going to be a murder mystery but it read more so as a documentary-style recalling. I thought the writing was good and the book was well crafted, it just was not in my taste. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Death, Child death, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Pedophilia

maddypat's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

This book made me feel some kind of way. Overall I would say it was a fantastic book. I was practically glued to it, so eager to know what happened next despite knowing the ultimate ending from the start.

While reading it, though, I couldn't help but think about the current discourse about true crime as a genre. A lot of people feel that true crime seems to focus a lot on the murderers and barely treat the victims as people, and often spreads misinformation about the case or the people involved. I think this is fair to say about a lot of true crime podcasts and, I'm sure, also about a lot of true crime books. 

In Cold Blood, I think, does a pretty good job of humanizing the victims. Accounts from friends and family of the Clutters help paint a picture of who they were before they were killed, and throughout the book we never forget how brutal of an end they were met with at the hands of Dick and Perry. But then on the flip side, well over half of the novel is dedicated to talking about those men, their lives leading up to the murder, and what happened following it. After finishing the book and looking up the case, it turns out Capote had actually befriended Perry during his research. 

At first, I was not really happy with this. Who are these men, these two people that murdered a whole family

(for no more than $50!)

, that I should feel bad for them? Or feel any kind of way except disgusted? I again kept thinking about the true crime discourse and how victims are so often drowned out by the coverage of their killer. But then, as the book went on, I realized it simply isn't that black and white. Dick and Perry did something horrible and unforgivable, but it doesn't mean they aren't humans with complicated lives - and understanding those lives can go some way in trying to understand why they did what they did. I grew to appreciate that I learned so much about these two, and similarly wrestled with the punishment they ended up receiving. I have never given much thought to the death penalty, but as it's reasoned in the book, it was urged because even life in prison could result in a parol in as few as (if I remember correctly) 15 years in that. These two men would be barely in their forties by then, and from my view of them, very much capable of making similar choices again. But who are we to decide who dies and who lives? 

In the end, I think what sets this book apart is that it paints the full picture. Sure I learn a lot about the perpetrators of the crime, but I also am thinking of the victims around every curve, and that is the difference between good true crime and bad.

I know I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. I'd recommend it even for people who don't read much other true crime. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

sophiaroesler's review against another edition

dark mysterious

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Murder

Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, and Pedophilia

tomato_bisque's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

The only true crime book ever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Child abuse

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Blood, Car accident, Gun violence, Murder, Sexism, and Sexual assault

vireoeo's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

I went into this book curious about the origins of modern true crime, and came out of it with a lot of complicated and unexpected emotions. This book bounces around between a half-dozen stories throughout time, which is one of my favorite narrative devices and is executed really well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Rape