Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

7 reviews

madamelacy's review

emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Child abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Death and Grief

mzry's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing 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

I wish I could give this book a higher rating. I was drawn to it when I saw it on the shelves and ended up devouring it, forcing myself to slow down so I could stay in Solace a little longer.

I loved the perspectives of the characters, how different they can be. Lawson does a very good job fleshing out the characters, making them feel real and relatable, even though they vary greatly. I found myself relating to a 7 year old, an elderly woman, and a middle aged divorced man three chapters in. 

You don't have to be related to be family. Family are those you trust, and those who value you. 

Here's to Clara, Elizabeth, and Liam Kane,

Keeper of the Fucking Cat

.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Infertility

Minor: Rape and Trafficking

jrkinyak's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

I really loved this book. My husband and 8-year-old listened to the end with me and were rapt. It’s lyrical and lovely and has true emotions and describes little moments so particularly and perfectly, and it’s uplifting without being pat or superficial. The worst thing about it, for me, was the fatphobia and body-shaming. I guess Lawson didn’t think fat people would read this and see themselves in her descriptions. It really takes me out of a book when an author treats fat people the way Lawson did. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

amberinbookland's review

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Infertility, and Pregnancy

lou_o_donnell's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Trafficking

definebookish's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.5

I don’t know how to feel about A Town Called Solace. It’s three interconnected stories in one, told in a combination of first and third person perspectives. We have seven-year-old Clara, whose older sister is missing; her elderly next-door neighbour Mrs Orchard, reflecting on a decades-old crime from her hospital bed; recently separated Liam Kane, who raises Clara’s suspicion when he moves into Mrs Orchard’s house.

While the set-up sounds like this might be something of a mystery, it isn’t really. For me it was a comfort read – the kind of story that introduces you to characters with an emotional need and then fulfils it. A more nuanced, literary version of those festive movies where a closed-off businesswoman gets stuck in a small town and finally realises the true meaning of Christmas. It’s a little twee, but it’s heartwarming, and I lapped it up.

On reflection, therein lies my conflict. Like those movies, this book feels like it’s built on the foundations of values my head doesn’t fully subscribe to, but my heart is comforted by – because they’re so familiar. The small town 1970s nostalgia feels like home – like solace – through Liam Kane’s eyes, with its friendly local cop and its diner where city types get short shrift. But look away from the page at this world we live in, and I’m not sure I buy what this book is selling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Infertility

Moderate: Trafficking

readmedo's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Trafficking

Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Rape