Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Girls by Emma Cline

13 reviews

kaitidid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Excrement

mickraine's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Gore, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Murder, Violence, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: War

jkull_10's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, Murder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Self harm, Blood, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gore

plumdustsuns's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I think Cline is a really talented writer and has a way with words that you come across only once in a while within books. I had picked up this book going off of some prompt/review saying it was about a lesbian and a cult. While that isn’t wrong, it didn’t quite encapsulate the entirety of the situation either. 
I think personally the book would have profited a lot from Evie being upwards of 17. While it would have taken away a bit of the hopeless lamb, but it wouldn’t have been that much. I think it would have lent to Evie and Suzanne’s relationship and Evie’s character in general.

There wasn’t much going on in their relationship besides Evie pining, not until Suzanne let Evie out of the car and visited her at boarding school, was some texture added. It would have made a more engaging story to have Suzanne a bit more fleshed out and receptive rather than this idealized character Evie was projecting everything onto. And the ‘connection’ she kept talking about in terms of her and Suzanne would have been justified and engaging. 
  Aside from that, all the SA on a 14 year old and this  promiscuity put upon them in literature makes me really uneasy and angry, honestly. I don’t think teenagers are ever that deliberate of sex in the way it’s presented in books like this. While it is shown that Evie is forced into it, it’s played off for the most part by her being like “oh well,” until the Mitch situation. Even that didn’t have enough anger or was presented in a bad light. I’m always aware in books of what writers project onto their characters and of what age because it is a choice, and not inspired off of true events ( entirely here anyway). 
I also found it really redundant that all of this happened over a fucking record deal. I wish it was something else and the bad blood between Russel and Mitch had more weight and tension, especially for the girls. (I read up and see  this is what happened in real life but just copy pasting these events without much of a weight or exploration just feels like a waste and triggering for no reason.) I wish it would have subverted the tale by instead having the girls turn on Russel somehow and kill him instead. That would have made a better story line.

 
I kept reading this book as it had a premise for having the opportunity to explore queerness, girlhood and the patriarchy in depth. However, besides from some insightfully written paragraphs on what it is like to be a girl, it feels rather flat in all the other departments. And it felt rather disappointing to finish this triggering book to get through with all the events just falling flat onto nothing overall and by the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Drug use, Rape, Blood, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

thisbookrox's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Death, Drug abuse, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, and Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent

pil4r's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Infidelity

Minor: Death of parent

decie's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Murder, Child abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Drug use

sav_wn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

It's the coming of age story of a young girl who feels lost in the world where a girls' only purpose seems to be fawning over boys and looking pretty and desirable. She meets a girl who seems untethered and free from the world she knows and isn't sure if she wants to be her or be with her. But the world she gets sucked into isn't only free but bigger and more complicated and dangerous than maybe any of them are aware of.
I couldn't put this book down and read through it in a few days. The story is captivating and the main character is lovable and heartbreakingly relatable. The author writes in a beautiful way, I marked so many quotes.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder, Sexism, Death of parent, and Drug use

cult, sect

mariaviola's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Drug use, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent

kingcrookback's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

In terms of the subject matter--that is, girlhood, abuse, and the capability/desire to enact violence--The Girls is in the same vein as Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects. However, The Girls is a much slower, almost meditative experience than Flynn's novella. The crime itself is nearly an afterthought. The majority of the focus is on the buildup to the horrific event. The prose is beautifully descriptive but laconic at times. I suggest having a lighthearted, uplifting read lined up after this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, and Infidelity

Minor: Classism and Death of parent