Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

58 reviews

rchlfrkr's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia and Suicidal thoughts

sarahmaxwell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really liked it, I think I was just expecting…. more. Sharp Objects worked so well for me in a way that this book just couldn’t. But Gillian Flynn’s prose and her ability to keep you enraptured will always be impressive to me. In this novel, she can keep you hooked until you actually begin to uncover the truth, and it all sort of… falls apart. The ending is what we are all searching for, the climax, the answers to all of our questions. But she doesn’t give us a chance to absorb it, let it linger, or consider all of the consequences of this deep string of lies.

It’s immediately resolved—Ben is freed, and Aunt Diane forgives her.

I want to soak in the moment we are able to piece everything together. I want to feel the moment deeply, but we aren’t given the chance.

But while the ending may have felt rushed, the journey there was anything but. Every little clue means something, and every page points to something deeper. Flynn gives us the information little by little; she doles it out in tiny doses, dangling the answers in front of us like a seasoned expert. She knows where to push, and where to pull back. I find myself impressed by this at the end of every chapter, and I think I’ll keep this awe throughout the rest of her novels.

I may need to sit with this novel a bit longer. I don’t know how much i skimmed over or haven’t absorbed fully, but I trust that there’s more to this novel than its initial read-through.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Alcoholism, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Blood, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Addiction, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Classism, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Misogyny, Drug abuse, and Bullying

jstenman's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Child death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Gore

ria_mar's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, and Death of parent

levanthium's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Suicide, Child death, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Gore, Drug use, and Murder

ryendnae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Pedophilia

lwrn2's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Definitely hooked me in; was not sure I liked the main character until more than halfway through the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Violence

m3l3fic3nt's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Pregnancy

allisonnd's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Slow start but good ramp up. Really dark 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Bullying, Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicide, Pedophilia, Child death, Blood, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Child abuse, Violence, Gore, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Murder, Vomit, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Death, and Cursing

teddylouise00's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

HOLY FUCK. I just stayed up till 4am reading the last 100 pages, I couldn’t stop. Took me a little while to really get it going but when it goes it fucking FLIES. Devastating and heartbreaking

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Child death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Murder, Animal death, Gore, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Vomit, and Alcohol