Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The River by Peter Heller

12 reviews

scipio_africanus's review

adventurous tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

erishti's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense

4.25

Oh my gosh 😭 I did not expect this book to grip me so much. 

This story follows two main characters, Jack and Wynn, two young college friends who's spirits intertwine in both their love of literature and nature. While canoeing a river in Northern Canada they encounter a fire that encumbers their journey. On their way down the river safely, after a bank of fog surrounds them, they hear a couple arguing beyond the treeline. They decide to warn them about the impending fire, but can't seem find them... Thus ensues an absolutely harrowing adventure where the boys' survival prowess and mental capacity are tested, and even breached.

At times this book was hard to follow but once the story gets going it really grabs you tight and doesn't let go. I will say that someone not savvy with the nature and ecology might not get as much out of the book, but nonetheless, the story is so great it doesn't matter too much. I cried multiple times while listening. 

The references to poems and literature were phenomenal and I feel the author did a great job of finding ones that fit the story well. The authors prose when describing scenes of nature and life were so vivid and gritty it felt so real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Animal death, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, and Alcoholism

Minor: Excrement

hangrim's review

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Gun violence

Minor: Sexual assault

typedtruths's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

kimmag92's review

The only reason I was reading this was because my library picked it for its book club and that’s the only reason I made it as far as I did. I absolutely hated this book. The River is set in the “Canadian North” and why I don’t know. The author should have set it in the USA as it really perpetuates the myth of Canada being “empty” and “wild” (I’m Canadian fyi). Also I couldn’t find a Maskwa river that emptied into Hudson’s Bay and the rifle our MCs carry isn’t even legal here. His description of Indigenous peoples is offensive as well his use and description of women and fat people. Our MCs are supposed to be the best of best friends but they hardly talk to one another and both are pretentious asshats who believe their more “primitive” way of travelling is better even though they have all sorts of modern gear. As well they’re supposed to be outdoor kind of guys but have no issue fishing or hunting out of season or burning their trash. 

We haven’t even got to Heller’s writing. I feel like he had the idea for this story but couldn’t made it to a reasonable page count so to pad it out he goes on and on about fishing, the flora and fauna, and anything but plot to show us how “deep and outdoorsy” the MCs are.

Overall, only read this book if you want a pretentious story about fishing, paddling, and deeply offensive prose about Indigenous people, women, and fat people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Murder, Blood, Sexism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Death, Cursing, and Colonisation

kailaelders's review

adventurous dark informative sad tense slow-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

2.75

I thought the plot of this story had a lot of potential but I feel it was a bit wasted on long repetitive passages describing fishing. The relationship between Jack and Wynn and the tests it endured sort of went nowhere in the end, there wasn't much reflection on Jack's actions on the river (which could have been really interestingly resolved with the background of his mother's death already set up). I also really wish we got to know Maia much better, it was frustrating that even when she

confirmed Pierre's attempt to murder her

we didn't really get much beyond that in terms of character, which made her feel very much like a prop and I didn't love that. 

What I did really enjoy was the descriptions of the wildfire and the way the forest increasingly reacted to it. The details of the last-nest mother birds and the larger mammals swimming across the river were beautiful in a sad realistic way.

I think the pacing of the book was off, and it spent too much time describing camping gear rather than the characters' motivations and thought processes, and the ending was wrapped up with the opposite amount of detail which felt like a letdown after the rising stakes throughout the last few chapters.

I wouldn't recommend it unless the reader was already quite interested in/enjoys outdoor activities like canoeing and camping.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Rape

erinblue's review

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Gun violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse

michelleb's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book started as a slow burn, with descriptions of lush forests and spending time on the river. The element of mystery comes in about a quarter of the way. Not only are they looking out for a forest fire but also so not-so-nice humans. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, and Sexual violence

mschmidt's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow is all I can say. I thought this would be a slow build but once it got going, man was it going. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Rape

horizonous's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

◦ Death = Friend