Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Once There Were Wolves

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

142 reviews

mdwsn27's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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lisahowe27's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a multilayered novel that peels back layers of questions around wildlife conservation, human relationships, the beauty of the forest and landscape, and the human condition. Wolves have a mystery to them that draws the reader in. Their strength and beauty can leave a person breathless. But this novel is more than just about them. It is an intertwining story that combines nature and human and how in our world today these two things can no longer be separated.

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aeola's review against another edition

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Despite the atmospheric setting and the heroine that has an unusual perception of the world, I found the story itself to be rather boring. The author uses over-dramatization and shock content to negatively portray ordinary situations. This excessive use of shock content have felt unrealistic and detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

The heroine's decisions made her professionalism as a zoologist and her intelligence in general questionable. Despite the fact that the heroine should be an expert in these areas, I felt that the author had little knowledge or understanding of nature, animals, and ecology. This lack of expertise have made the story less believable or authentic and have affected my ability to connect with and believe in the character.

Overall, the book did not meet my expectations in terms of character development, plot, and the portrayal of themes that were promised in the book's description.

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elkcariboubiologist's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.0

My father used to say the world turned wrong when we started separating ourselves from the wild, when we stopped being one with the rest of nature, and sat apart. He said we might survive this mistake if we found a way to rewild ourselves. But I don’t know how to do that when our existence frightens the creatures we must reconnect with.

Oy. This beautifully written, incredibly dark book pulled me in and wouldn't let me go despite how anxious reading it made me feel. Those books that can weave nature/science into a story are definitely some of my favorite. But not many writers can do it well, particularly if they aren't biologists or naturalists themselves (and even if they are!). Given that, I was amazed to find that McConaghy is neither. Is all the science correct? No. But from the very first pages, it was easy to see that McConaghy had done her research. Not only on the ecology of wolves, but on how they make people feel. In my experience, wolves are one of the most polarizing critters that exists (probably THE most polarizing). You either love wolves or hate them, nothing in between... She captured this well for the most part (except it is not likely that some of the characters could be convinced to change their mind).

The moment was unbearable, sitting there with her fur between my fingers. I had been watching her for months, learning her, caring for her. I began to wonder if what we were doing was right. If our involvement in their lives was too much. We were trying to save them but we killed them sometimes, too. We stomped through the world and crumpled things where we walked, too human, not creature enough.

As a wildlife research biologist, at times I didn't know if I was ready to feel some of the emotions this story brought up in me. I can't tell you how many times over the past 25 years that some version of the highlighted quote above has gone through my head. I know of very few biologists who question their role in that way (though they should!)...

No such thing as trust in the wilderness. … It’s only people need that word.

My main criticism: the ending was over the top. How McConaghy chose to tie everything up, honestly didn't really feel true to the rest of the story. Without spoilers, I can't say more than that.

Edited to add: I've read some of the other reviews and need to add that I have never experienced trauma like the characters of this story so I couldn't judge how well the author treated this incredibly sensitive topic. Listening to those voices, this book could be harmful or triggering to abuse victims or to their friends and family. As others have noted, the book should definitely come with trigger warnings.

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