Reviews tagging 'Death'

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

4 reviews

decembermagpie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Death, and Sexual content

Minor: War

beanjoles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I first listened to this story as an audiobook several years ago. This was my first time reading the book. It was a truly moving experience. This story is an exploration of one family and its secrets, and of how trauma is passed down from one generation to the next. It is a love letter to Cape Breton—to Nova Scotia—in all its potential and difficulty and beauty. To say more would be to spoil the journey for those yet to embark. And this book is certainly a journey worth embarking upon. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Suicide, War, and Death

Pedophilia (general theme):

James, the family patriarch, is shown to be a pedophile with a sexual interest in his daughters. There is one scene where he molests one of them.

(HEAVY late book spoilers):

One of the protagonists is raped and impregnated by a parent.

Injury/injury detail:

A pregnant woman is given a home-made Caesarean section. It is about as gruesome as you would expect. There is also a scene where someone is shot in the abdomen with a gun.

Suicide:

Someone commits suicide by sticking their head in an oven. The scene is described but I would not characterize it as something likely to be triggering, and it is not gory.

hellokatya's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

this was an amazing book. it was my first time reading anything of the sort, so i was unsure what to expect, but let me tell you: it was not that. my only gripe is: i wish she had made the passage of time more clear. it was very hard at times to figure out what period of time things are taking place in, or how close in successions events occurred. this book took my heart, held it, crushed it, bandaged it up, spit on it, and threw it in a dumpster. there were some parts of the book i had to re-read or sit and think about, but i think that's a positive more than it is a negative; it made my brain put in effort. the pacing got a little shaky at times, but the overall story + the ending made everything worthwhile.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Racism, Medical content, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Incest and Drug use

Minor: Racial slurs and Dysphoria

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-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

4.0

The synopsis of this book doesn't give much away about it. And I do feel that is a positive because I went in blindly and let the story take me where it wanted to go. It was a challenging book and took some time to get into the rhythm of, but I would say about 100 pages in, I had an ah-ha moment and from there it just flowed for me. This story is very well written and showcases such a cast of characters. The dynamics of the relationships were strong and compelling. The characters were rich. Lily was my personal favourite. She just felt so relatable.  This story was sad and dark and challenging and I know that does not work for everyone, but I enjoyed it for what it was. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse