Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

83 reviews

samanthaleereads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Vomit, Confinement, Classism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, and Sexism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

While “Foster” made me cry, this one made me seethe with rage, and it is an empathetic novella about mustering the courage to fight against injustices that are buried under the surface, even when you only have your bare hands to dig them up. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Bullying, and Abandonment

Minor: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Xenophobia, Excrement, and Terminal illness

Be aware that this novel addresses the Magdalen laundry, where religious institutions would abuse and isolate young “troubled” women. It is rough to read, and there is more details between the lines. Poverty and abuse of power had a huge hand in this discussion.

196books's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Excrement

bessadams's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

captainrenjamin's review

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer

Deals with the history of mother and baby homes and Magdalene laundries in Ireland

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

reflective sad 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? No

3.0

small things like these is a slow, atmospheric read whose winter setting of a small irish town takes center stage as much as the main character bill's internal terrain. a sense of discomfort pervades thruout the novella, not only abt what bill doesn't know but also what the rest of the town does and is complicit in. this is perhaps most suitable for those who dont mind a subtle, slower read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment, Suicide, and Death of parent

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I had a lot of anticipation before reading this, and overall I found it very well written and well paced, albeit a lot more subtle than I was expecting. This is my first time reading Claire Keegan's work but I've since seen some reviews remarking that her other stuff is a lot darker than this, which intrigues me. 

The dialogue was particularly strong from the supporting townspeople, the opaqueness of which complemented the earnestness and pathos of the protagonist. I really got a good sense of his temperament, motivations and backstory, which is an achievement in a novella. 

I appreciated the economy of the writing and how it created an air of tension and mystery whilst providing enough exposition to keep you in the story. It made me hungry for more, which is the mark of a good writer, especially of shorter books. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Vomit, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

saythename's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

elizaob's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

balfies's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

4.0

A haunting novella about the Irish laundries and the women and girls incarcerated in them. Keegan recounts the mundane minutiae of Irish life in the 80s with precise verisimilitude, but this becomes quietly suffocating to our organisation Furlong as the moral injustices of the laundries consume him. I think this story is deceptively difficult to execute well, but Keegan is able to use a light hand and plain prose to communicate the palpable horror of everyday neglect.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse