Reviews tagging 'Death'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

96 reviews

kellyinbookland's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, and Suicide attempt

greypaperboats's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

This is one of the best, most heartbreaking books I've read in a long while. The characters are written with such compassionate clarity. They've found a home in my heart. There is not much I can respond with except that I'll be carrying this story with me, hoping that if anyone has Shuggie's heart it should be everyone or no one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

emmarobyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

SHUGGIE BAIN and I spent the better half of the month together, and I am ever grateful for it. Though slow, I promise you, it's the masterpiece you've heard it is. A story told with so, so much love -- and one I will be recommending left and right.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer

eilidhfisher's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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? Yes

4.75

It’s an incredible book. Brutal and heartbreaking watching characters making choices you wish they wouldn’t and children growing up collecting so much trauma. But it’s so well written and there are parts that are so funny or fill me with hope or just make me love the characters so much I have to keep reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Death of parent

amberinbookland's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

lenin_lover_69's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

3.0

Shuggie Bain is relentlessly grim, but the evocative and poetic prose used to sketch out the city of Glasgow made it a worthwhile read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

alissa_m's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Religious bigotry

writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 🏭
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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🏢 The plot: Shuggie Bain is born in Glasgow to beautiful alcoholic Agnes and philandering taxi driver Big Shug Bain. When Big Shug abandons his family in a mining town decimated by Thatcherism, Agnes’s addiction takes hold, and Shuggie grapples not only with his enduring love and concern for his mother, but with the growing awareness in him and everyone around him that he is not a “normal boy”.
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This is the kind of book that you read and find yourself wondering over and over again if it’s autobiographical, because the characters are so rich and real. It’s not “about” Shuggie Bain in the way that Oliver Twist is “about” Oliver Twist - his adventures and the things that he does - but it is about him in the sense that it’s about the places and the people he comes from, the love and pain informing the decisions that shape his life. Family is at the heart of this novel: the ways in which we inherit things from the people who raise us, but also our separateness as individuals in a fractious society, our inability to be responsible for anyone’s survival but our own. I still don’t know if it’s ultimately optimistic or pessimistic in outlook, but it is moving, and it’s a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time!
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If I had one complaint, it would be that the novel spends so long contextualising Shuggie that you see relatively little of him as a person, particularly as a teenager. It feels a little anticlimactic - but maybe that’s just me longing for a happy ending for this character!
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🏘 Read it if you like character-driven novels that explore hard-hitting social history, written in accessible prose. Also to pick up random bits of Glaswegian slang!
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🚫 BIG avoid if you are sensitive to scenes of rape, assault, alcoholism, and child sexual assault. I would urge anyone doubtful to carefully check TWs before reading as it can get quite graphic. This is also not a very plot-driven book so avoid if that’s not your thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

hollieebeee's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Despite the subject matter, I found this book easy to read. The story of Shuggie and his family was heartbreaking. The novel follows the life of Shuggie against the backdrop of working class Glasgow in the eighties. The things that the characters go through just to survive are shocking, but told in such a way you feel for them and their struggle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia and Religious bigotry