Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

9 reviews

epeolatrist's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Child death, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcohol and War

codyfrizzell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Murder, Car accident, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Gore, Child death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Rape

Minor: War and Alcohol

seeker42's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Violence, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, and Blood

Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, Cancer, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing

thenageler's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Rape, Cursing, Animal death, Medical content, Gun violence, Infidelity, Child death, Car accident, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

rosereadsalot's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Animal death

obsessedmuch's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Child abuse, and Rape

kell_xavi's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

Stephen King writes a story of belief and desperation, class, politics, and disability. I liked Johnny Smith, and I liked King’s elaboration on how fear can manifest in religious obsession, in trust of the strangest authority when the working class is neglected and unheard for too long. I liked the setting in the 1970’s and quiet northeastern states, both far away places to me, made familiar by these pages. The first third is often slow, creaking along and introducing a number of scattered points that disappear and come back later (I forgot who kicked the dog, what happened to the waitress, what state we were in, a few times—made more difficult by the audiobook, where I couldn’t flip back easily). But once Sarah visits and then Johnny gets a call from Castle Rock, the story has more life. 

Johnny goes from a smart, likeable small town teacher to a haunted, sick man in the ten years this story covers; King articulates the internal pain and shame of his disability, coupled with the curiosity and hope and anger of those who encounter it, very well. I was on his side the whole way through, because he remains intelligent, considerate, the whole way through, even as he loses his ability to be part of the same reality as those around him. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Terminal illness

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, War, and Misogyny

christinakann's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Car accident, Blood, Child death, and Gun violence

Minor: War, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

that_bookish_life's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.0

<blockquote><I>We all do what we can, and it has to be good enough, and if it isn't good enough, it has to do.</blockquote></I>

The Dead Zone is about everyman Johnny (no middle name) Smith who after being injured in a car accident and lying in a subsequent coma for 4+ years suddenly awakens possessing a second sight.  He's now able to touch people or objects and know things: like his physical therapist's apartment is at that moment catching fire or that a  politician will come to power and destroy the world.  It's a lot for Johnny, but he's a good person and wants to use his power not for fame and fortune, but for good.  

After locating a gruesome serial killer Johnny turns his attentions to a potentially equally sinister subject: politicians.  He meets Jimmy Carter and tells him he will become president.  And he meets an up and coming local politician who promises to make it rain on demand, shoot pollution into space, and throw all the bums out of Washington.  Is Donald Trump in this book?  No, but I think Trump may have an advisor or speech writer who has read this book because the parallels are astounding!  

Reading this book at this moment in time sure is something.  I did not pick it up knowing that it would be quite this relevant, but it did made a good and scary pre-election read.  I enjoyed the content overall, but found the story to be a little more meandering than usual and lacking in character development.

Not my favorite King novel, but man is it eerily prescient to current day reality.  Too bad no one with second sight was able to shake Trump's hand at an opportune moment in the past.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Child death