Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

23 reviews

pettywhaler's review

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Grief, and Hate crime

audreyolejasz's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

2.0

The main character is kunda of a pervert...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Car accident, Drug use, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Blood, and Pedophilia

tiffanykw's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Rape, Murder, Car accident, and Gun violence

Minor: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, and Grief

livia_jewel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Child abuse

sarahholliday's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

The non-five-star rating is completely down to my personal taste, because this is very clearly a masterpiece of a novel. 

I am definitely a plot-driven person, but I enjoy picking up the occasional character-focused story. Joe and his community are absolutely fascinating, and though at times I wished we could move outside of his limited first-person perspective, it was both haunting and magical to see the events of the novel through his eyes.

What stood out to me the most was the emotional rawness—Erdrich takes readers into the kinds of emotional landscapes that are suffocating and overwhelming, but leads them through in the myriad ways all humans turn to: avoidance, escape, drunkenness, attempts to maintain some sort of control.

I loved Erdrich's style enough that I'm eager to pick up some of her other novels, and I highly recommend The Round House to anyone looking for a deeply-felt story of family, injustice, courage, and friendship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Murder, Cursing, Grief, Death, and Gun violence

bangishimokwe's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Torture, Alcohol, Body horror, Car accident, Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, and Sexual violence

masriazs's review

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Murder

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Alcoholism

poisonenvy's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In Joe's thirteenth summer, his entire life is turned upside-down. His mother is brutally raped, the perpetrator is unknown, and and his family have to learn how to overcome it. This is a story about a crime -- a crime that is far too common, especially among Indigenous women -- but it's about a lot more than that too. It's a story about Joe learning how to become the sort of man that he eventually will grow into. It's a look into life on an Ojibwe reservation. It's about colonialism and spirituality, misogyny and growing up.  

This book in beautifully written and wonderfully told. The prose flows. There's an uncomfortable juxtaposition of the rape of Joe's mother, and Joe's own views on women, just beginning to form, but I found that it was handled quite well.  

This was a book club read, and I was glad for the opportunity to read it (especially to read it with my friends!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse

a_m_c's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape

pulpandprose's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Colonisation, Grief, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Hate crime

Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism