Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

A grande solidão by Kristin Hannah

11 reviews

debbilynn42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, Medical content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, War, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, War, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Physical abuse

scraig04018's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I wish there were more than 5 stars. I wish that my words were eloquent enough to describe just how beautiful this book is. My first book by thus author and was hooked. The characters tug at your heart. You want to hug each of them, the setting and plot is beautiful but dark and frightful. But, the community and acceptance is beautiful. I cannot say enough, this is one of my top 5 ever read and I will be reading it again to find things I've missed! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Pregnancy, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Violence

As many trigger warnings as there are. Thus is a story of survival and finding one's voice. It's beautiful.

srq_book_lover's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief

heypoetrygirl's review against another edition

adventurous medium-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? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

allthechaptersandverses's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

3.0

A wonderful emotional book that made me cry. Definitely not lighthearted. The book was very slow and it took me awhile to get into it but once I did I couldn’t stop reading. Highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Blood, and Death

moack_5's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, and Bullying

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Grief, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Car accident, Murder, Cancer, Cursing, and Vomit

erinrebecca922's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

An incredible coming of age story from the point of view of a girl who moves to Alaska with her family. Please note the content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

kelliegawhale's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Death

micaelamariem's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

 

So, I accidentally joined five book clubs this year. Three are with various friends and two from Instagram and Tiktok--but five clubs are nothing I can't handle. One that's meeting this very weekend (which I'm admittedly nervous for since I don't know everyone) is reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This book was already on my to-read list so this sped up my process of actually getting it from the library. 

Kristin Hannah is an iconic author, and though this was my first book I read by her, she is famed for other works like The Nightingale and The Four Winds. Originally a lawyer in the Pacific Northwest, her works as an author have made this a much more popular career choice! 

The Great Alonefollows the Albright family through the eyes of the 13 year old girl, Leni, as they move from Seattle to the wilds of Alaska. While some of this coming-of-age historical fiction is about their learning of survival in the wilds known as The Great Alone, the real survival is the lonliness of surviving domestic violence and being silenced by the father, Ernt Albright, a Vietnam POW veteran. 

The biggest tip to reading this book I'd say is have tissues close by and be prepared to cry. Good thing I like sad things and am no stranger to tears...  

Through the tears and trauma, themes become present and clearer. I'd say the biggest theme comes from the title, The Great Alone. Though this nickname comes from a Robert Service poem and refers to the solitude of the Alaskan wilderness, the book actually uses it as a metaphor for lonliness that comes from a violent father and surviving a trauma that teaches you to be silent and fear love. Other themes feed into this bigger one, like grief, isolation, PTSD, and the meaning of community. 

The characters are also multifaceted. Leni and her parents, Cora and Ernt, are at the forefront of the novel, but their allies and (in Ern't case) enemies also help paint the novel. Some of my favorites are Matthew and Tom Walker, who show us what real men look like compared to Ernt, and Large Marge, an outspoken, often comedic, but always loyal friend. 

Probably the most beautiful and breathtaking part of this novel is the descriptions. Hannah depicts a beautiful and dangerous Alaska, never failing to show us the environments in which Leni finds herself. I also admire the symbolism, particularly of cracking ice in the Alaskan winter. There are many times when there is danger on thin ice--literally--in the novel, but walking around Ernt and his temper is also thin ice. I lost track of the times when Cora warns her daughter to "be extra careful" around him. 

My one criticism of this book is the danger of portraying those suffering from PTSD as violent. While there are certainly those who do become violent, I think portraying this can further stigmatize mental illness and shame those who are suffering. Also, this book is just so sad--definitley not a book for an escapism. 

Overall, I'd give this book four stars. I'd recommend it to those who like sad stories, who want to learn more about survivng trauma or living in the Pacific Northwest, and those interested in more recent historical fiction. 

Check out this link for Kristin Hannah's book club discussion questions on this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Pregnancy, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Vomit and War