Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

15 reviews

r_o_s_e's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Colonisation, Death, Classism, and Incest

Moderate: Murder, Child death, Grief, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Rape, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Blood, and Violence

taylormargaret's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Animal death, Blood, Ableism, Incest, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

jouljet's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Ableism, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

mmccombs's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

An interesting story and beautiful writing, but it didn’t really do much for me. I think part of the issue is that I just finished last year’s Booker prize island book, The Colony, right before this one, and the former is simply so much stronger. I found myself (perhaps unfairly) comparing the two, and I didn’t think This Other Eden had anything new to say, lacking the finesse and layered nuance I loved in The Colony. Maybe this book could have been structured differently? I enjoyed the paragraphs where we’d explore “an artifact” or piece of art with 50-100 years distance from the action of the novels, I feel like the author could have used that more. I leave this feeling underwhelmed, I understand why this made it onto the Booker longlist but don’t think it has that “edge” or groundbreaking vision that most nominated books have.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Incest, and Racism

Minor: Animal death

carrieclothwright's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

A tragic story told with resonant echoing prose.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Deportation, Incest, Rape, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Racism