Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

5 reviews

abi_sarah's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.0

<spoilers in this review> 

Overall I enjoyed this book for it’s immersive nature, the descriptions of the settings made it so easy to escape to the seaside with Elle and her family and follow her story intently. 

However, it took me a while to read because I wasn’t gripped by it, I was intrigued but not gripped. The urge to pick up the book was only there to carry on reading - for the escapism, not because I absolutely had to know what happened next. 

This book reminded me of the familial dramas of ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ by Celeste Ng. I am coming to realise that I really enjoy novels with imperfect families, reading about how they communicate during times of conflict and what circumstances can push familial ties to breaking point. 

Miranda Cowley Heller writes excellently about the truly awful realities of rape. Including that the perpetrator is nearly always someone the victim knows, and what’s worse - someone the victim knows well. This circumstance makes the aftermath for the victim all the more difficult to deal with. Heller describes Elle’s trauma and the way she deals with it in the most matter of fact, yet sympathetic way. Some parts of this book were honestly extremely hard to read, it all just felt so real, so painful. As the reader, I developed so much sympathy for Elle. 

When Elle finally tells her mother who the real perpetrator of her rape was, you can literally feel her release of breath through the pages. You feel her shoulders relax and her brow flatten. 

I would have given this 5 stars, but there were parts where I just wasn’t fussed one way or the other if I picked it back up to read. So it’s a 4 star for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Incest, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Dementia and Body shaming

lindsayhotrod's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Infidelity, Incest, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Child death, and Classism

Minor: Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Dementia, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

bowenlacar's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Dementia, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Terminal illness

notbrhymes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I don’t know. The beginning was hard to get into. I was confused by choices made throughout most of the book. The ending was incredibly abrupt and semi ambiguous. I don’t like the cheating and lying that are constant throughout this novel, as well as the horribly sad recounting of CSA. But also I found the writing compelling (more so after the flashbacks, didn’t like those even though they did add to the narrative) and the story interesting as well. I just don’t know! 

Also, I think there should have been massive warning for the extreme levels of child sexual assault (CSA) depicted in this story. I had no idea that was where this was going when I started this book and it completely shocked me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual content, Death, Child abuse, Cancer, Child death, Rape, Animal death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Grief, and Terminal illness

Minor: Infertility and Dementia