Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Pallbearers Club: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

22 reviews

rachelunabridged's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cursing

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Cancer and Bullying

catstead's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Mental illness and Addiction

Minor: Death of parent and Drug use

alylentz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

3.5

This is so strange and unique and I didn't know how I felt about it until the very end, which won me over in a big way. I do think this is a very specific book that will be too weird for many: not quite horror, not quite coming of age, etc., and I did put it down a couple times before finally committing, but I know I will continue to think about this.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Addiction

karina_dreamsinwords's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

How I feel upon finishing this book, “No thoughts, head empty.”

My rating may change at a later date after sitting with my final thoughts, but I really did not care about this story or these characters. A shame to be honest because the premise of this book was so intriguing! 

I’m bummed this didn’t do it for me but I still plan to read from this author in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent

jessyhere's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction

imrereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

I've been struggling with how to review this, because I think this is the kind of book that improves my knowing very little going in. Essentially it is the memoir of Art Barbara about his younger years. In high school during the late 80s he created the Pallbearer's Club where they volunteered at sparsely attended funerals. This is how he met Mercy. What makes this book interesting is that Mercy's comments in the margins, as she - now an adult - reads through the memoir. Except, her side of the story doesn't align with Art's at all. According to her, this is a novel. 

In and of it self, it's a really cool concept, and the turn it took really sucked me in. We have an unreliable narrator, and someone who comments heavily on that fact. The question is how reliable she is. It gets weird and I loved it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, and Grief

gia0203's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I’m still struggling to decipher what is and isn’t real. I wasn’t sure about this one at first, but by the end I was invested. mercy’s voice really added to the book. not my favourite by tremblay but definitely a treat. heartwarming at times. 

my personal theory is that mercy wrote the last chapter to please art and give them closure.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, and Toxic friendship

ravenpuff's review against another edition

mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Death, and Medical content

Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Addiction

goodgollymissmollee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

1.0

This book was not what I expected it to be and it was not for me. I loved the format, super cool and different, and the few pages of horror did scare me a bit. However, there weren’t very many of them and the book as a whole was extremely different from what I thought it was going to be.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Cancer, Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Toxic friendship

trulydevious's review against another edition

sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Grief