Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

17 reviews

menastarr's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Incest, and Child death

Moderate: Racism and Animal death

maceydowns's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Racism, Religious bigotry, Incest, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Death

Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal death, Classism, Eating disorder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pregnancy, Slavery, and Colonisation

emjbarnes's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Racism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Police brutality, Death, Incest, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape, Animal death, and Child death

seventhswan's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This Other Eden is heartbreakingly bleak almost from start to finish; honestly, I probably wouldn't have picked it up if I knew just how *sad* it was going to be. From the first few pages, I felt afraid for the characters as they were introduced, knowing from the blurb and the true story this is based on that a distressing ending was inevitable. And I so quickly grew to love the characters - my initial worries that there would be too many to keep track of were unfounded. Esther in particular was so compelling and I could have read an entire book just about her.

I don't know how to describe how affecting this story was, or how well-written. It doesn't rely on graphic descriptions of any of the horrors that befall the inhabitants of Apple Island, but the way they are alluded to and couched in figurative language is somehow worse. I can't not recommend this book, but it isn't one I expect to want to return to for a very long time.

Audrey Magee's The Colony on steroids, or perhaps tranquillisers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Incest, and Racism

Moderate: Child death, Animal death, Rape, and Violence

risemini's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Child death, Incest, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Deportation, and Racism

loiscarlisle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Murder, Child death, Sexual violence, Incest, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Adult/minor relationship

useyourgoodeye's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.5

This book was better as I kept reading. The writing was great with details but not a lot of character backstory or information below the surface. It almost seems like a list of characters but no real substance. The subject is very interesting and I would have loved more follow up and character plots.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Death

bessadams's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Ableism, and Murder

Moderate: Incest, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, and Rape

ebpertner's review against another edition

dark emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Animal death

kk_gotit_goinon's review against another edition

dark emotional informative slow-paced

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

2.0

 Nothing happens in this book. I feel that there's no nuance or anything deeper. It just is what it is. The eugenics parts can be interesting if you know the history and the details of it,  but I don't think you'll get it if you haven't heard of it/don't have a science background where you learned a lot about it. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, I felt bad for them but I didn't fall in love either. It's a quick listen at least. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Incest, Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Animal death, and Ableism