Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Os Quatro Ventos by Kristin Hannah

30 reviews

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

Move over, Grapes of Wrath. I got through this entire book without realizing it's by the author of "The Nightingale," but I'm not surprised-- similar depth of characters and bringing to life historical settings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

The audiobook version includes a really lovely short interview with the author and the narrator, that sheds interesting light on the process of writing the book and creating the characters, as well as the process of bringing the story to life via the audiobook narration.

machenn's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Death of parent

elyssajoh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content

filipa_maia's review

adventurous challenging emotional sad tense 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

5.0

WHAT A BOOK! Definitely not a book that I would choose myself... it was a 'book of the month' in a book box, that's why I bought it. Historical fiction is not a genre I gravitate towards... but I'm so happy I did! This was my first book by Kristin Hannah, and for what I've heard, every single book of hers is amazing.

This book broke my heart so many times and in so many ways: the tragedies that Elsa keeps encountering in her life are endless. How can someone be so resilient? I love the way Elsa is described, always so fragile, someone from whom people don't expect much in life... but I loved her since the day she bought that piece of red fabric. So many times, throughout the entire book, I feared so much for that family's survival... I was always on the edge. I understood how much I was "living" this story when that hairdresser gave Elsa and the kids some clothes... I felt that act of kindness as if it happened to me.

I can't stress enough how much I love Elsa's character. A woman who was put down and beaten up by life (and everyone around her) but somehow pulled trough. I don't feel like she was happy for one moment her entire life, but that never stopped her. She raise her kids and gave them the most important thing - love - and with that a future. This is what a truly strong female character looks like!

I can't wait to read another Kristin Hannah's book!

P.S.: Historical fiction is not very easy to read. If you're not interested in history, this might not be your kind of book. But I love to discover more about other countries' past. The way Kristin Hannah ends the book is brilliant: reminding us that we've faced bad things in the past and this will too pass, but we should never forget the old saying "When we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it". 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol

wellreadjill_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

laurenleigh's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Now that I’ve finally finished this, I’ve read the last three publications by Kristin Hannah. I was moved by TheNightingale, but these last two didn’t do it for me. If I had to sum them all up, it would be easy: “The hits just keep on coming.” Le sigh. This was not an enjoyable read. It was just one tragedy after another, which left me feeling tired, overwhelmed, and sadly, desensitized. By the time I reached the denouement, I had little energy left to really care all that much about what happened to these characters. There were certainly elements in this novel that I found enlightening, moments that left me feeling very grateful for all that I have and often take for granted. And I suppose I found the exploration of mother/daughter  relationships interesting. But that’s pretty much all I got out of this. I’m not at all bummed it’s over. Maybe I’ve just been reading too many tough topics lately!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Gun violence and Blood

mandi4886's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

gm_vak's review against another edition

adventurous 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder

bobbijopmh's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

Fantastic read. Beautifully written and well-paced. This was the first of Kristin Hannah’s books I have read, and I was not disappointed. It is, at times, quite a confronting and heart-wrenching read, but it’s worth it!

Hannah’s writing is poetic, and lyrical, but at the same time succinct and easy to follow. The historical aspect of the book is clearly well researched and insightful. 

It is a story that is definitely relevant now. It has a lot to teach about avoiding a repeat of some of the mistakes of history in tough times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Child death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Blood

hungryandhappy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

*Netgalley arc*

Brutal, raw, emotional and hopeful. I don't think I can put into words all the feelings this book put me through. I was so lost just like Elsa, and infuriated, just like Loreda! I wanted to scream so loudly.

Elsa comes from a family that didn't give her love because, in their opinion, she was ugly so not worthy. She takes the love or what looks like it, from the first boy that's willing to give it to her and who sees her more than her parents do. This leads to Elsa marrying into a immigrant italian family of farmers in Texas.

It stops raining and things start looking horribly for the family and Elsa is left by her husband and she has to make a hard decision when the awful sandstorms and just too hot weather risk taking one of her kids away.

Elsa, her daughter Loreda and Ant, the little son, embark on a journey to look for a better life. What they find isn't better; they get treated worse than animals, underpaid, exploited, denied basic human rights, and more.

What touches you about the story is not only the events, that still happen too often, but the courage of this woman, left alone, who will do anything to give her kids a better life and future. The strength of these two women, mother and daughter, will make you cheer for them and will take you to an emotional journey like not many others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder