Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

18 reviews

jolineliest's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, War, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Body shaming, Genocide, Antisemitism, Cursing, Excrement, Deportation, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content

elliott_the_clementine's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

An extremely odd book. Undoubtedly intriguing and very well-written. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Genocide, Death, Sexism, War, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Child death

Moderate: Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Vomit, and Blood

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

mandibibbs37's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Death, Rape, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, War, Suicide, Murder, and Genocide

mandi_lea's review

dark sad slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Abortion, Child death, War, Rape, Physical abuse, Animal death, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Violence, Sexual violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

akvolcano's review

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

1.5

 Honestly it just feels like the author put all the drafts together and made a book out of it. It feels like it’s the same story rewritten over and over again, with slight changes. Wouldn’t recommend reading. The book itself is an interesting concept, but it was not executed well at all.

When I read that the main character has multiple lives, I was excited! But the character doesn’t remember their past lives. And recantation is mentioned twice in the book, but both times are offhand and not really a big deal/significance. Pretty disappointed. I also couldn’t find any of the characters to be lovable, it feels like I barely knew them. Also-idk if it was just me, but the amount of graphic violence and/or uncomfortable topics was completely unnecessary  to the story line. Perhaps two or three would have been consumable, but dang not this much.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cultural appropriation, Miscarriage, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Racism, Classism, Domestic abuse, War, Genocide, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Ableism, Colonisation, and Pregnancy

courtneyreadsometimes's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Gore, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Murder, Mental illness, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Rape, Misogyny, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Child death, and Death of parent

ashbreadin's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense 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? No

2.25

That book was a mind f***! Honestly it started off pretty good and I was excited for the story. But by the end (or even the late middle), it felt like it didn't really know how it should end, so it just kind of took the cowards way out by

not giving us an actual ending.

. Lots of content warnings, and it just felt like the author wanted to hit every bad thing that could happen in life. Worst use of the "groundhog's day" type of phenomenon I've ever seen.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Blood, Abortion, Violence, War, Suicide, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Child death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, and Genocide

Minor: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

shibaunited's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Abortion, Antisemitism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Gun violence, Genocide, Deportation, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, War, Violence, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Blood, and Animal death

faythd's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Child death, Alcoholism, and Abortion

Minor: Death of parent and Genocide

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.0

A very compelling, if strange, book

pros:
- the prose and imagery is definitely it's strongest point. as one of the reviewers says, the scenes from the blitz in London are very vivid in my mind, as well as Ursula's awful time in london. and made me realise how truly awful it was for everyone - anyone who compares covid to the world wars has no idea. 
- the characters were also wonderfully done, they were all imperfect but well rounded and unique, especially Sylvie, Ursula herself and the rest of the family. 
- the idea itself is brilliant, and very well executed, with Ursula's slow realisation of what was happening and how the plots all came together. 
- though many references went over my head, I did enjoy the classical and cultural nods where I recognised them. 

cons:
-there were a lot of characters and storylines and it was confusing at times, especially because I had a break in the middle. but that added the palimpsest it was creating. 
- I found the ending strange and unpoignant, though Atkinson's note at the end helped with this. 

overall, very vivid and moving and I want to read more books by her in the future. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Abortion, Grief, Vomit, Body horror, Death, Gore, War, Violence, Suicide, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Rape