Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Magpie by Elizabeth Day

25 reviews

iamnita's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

This book started so well and the idea was well-done. I could see that we were headed somewhere twisty and then I got surprised by a twist I should have but didn't see coming. By 70% I was so excited by the rest of the book but honestly wish I'd just stopped there. It's almost as if the author dropped the plot and then had a deadline to get to. Which was disappointing. I also could have done without the last chapter. But the vibes were immaculate to 70%.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Violence, Infertility, Stalking, and Confinement

bumble_abi's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

you can tell I'm not having a great time with my mental health because I'm reading mass market thrillers again 

this is blurbed as 'the most mind-blowing book of the year' which is the kind of hyperbole that can only set a book up for a fall. Marisa and her lovely boyfriend move in together and try to start a family, but Marisa is increasingly disturbed by the behaviour of their solicitous and overfamiliar lodger, Kate. There's a decent twist in this but it occurs only about a third of the way into the book, and then the rest is the long unraveling of how we got to that point, followed by a slightly too tidy ending.

This truly did feel like a book of two halves - the first half is great, tense and confusing and addictive, but it peaks too early and doesn't leave enough meat for the second half. There's not enough depth to any of it to justify its ultimate meandering. There's a (not graphic - the narrative voice just tells you it happened) rape scene which didn't have very much of a purpose in the plot except as a shortcut to creating a character who is unstable, which felt unnecessary and distasteful. I enjoyed it well enough but wouldn't rush to recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness

Moderate: Rape and Violence

stagasaurus's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Infertility, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Miscarriage

Moderate: Rape, Violence, and Gaslighting

cleexxx's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Infertility, and Sexual violence

leoniejenkins's review

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Violence

books_plus_brownies's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

marise_ve's review

challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Violence

katherinejayne's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

2.5

This started out strong for me, and flattened as it progressed. 

It was pleasant enough to read but the plot just petered out, and the end was so resolved and neatly packaged that I found it dull. I know people like a complete resolution but it felt so finally different from the rest of the book. 

I would read more stuff by Elizabeth Day- it’s easy reading stuff and perhaps other stories may resonate more with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Violence

hodgeonlucy's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Gaslighting, Infertility, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Miscarriage, and Violence

goldenslug's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Mental illness

Minor: Violence