Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

9 reviews

natalya_c14's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0


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sparklycowboy's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Maybe it’s my fault for binge reading (listening to) this at work, but after
the dog died
I couldn’t take it anymore, and almost gave it up entirely!!  They experienced tragedy and trauma, with no sense of emotional friendships forming between the two girls. I found myself not even engaged in the murder story because of the countless traumas that just piled on one after another. I just wanted it to end!

The redeeming quality of the book for me was the midwife character Gertie, with all of her medicinal, herbal and folklore knowledge. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the lives of the girls on a rural homestead on the 1920s, and hearing about the day to day of their lives. 

Overall, it was an interesting read but just way too intense for my liking, and not like Where the Crawdads Sing at all, except for in the setting of a swamp. The authors interview at the end of the audiobook was helpful in explaining the story and the writing, so I hope that is included in the hard copy as well!

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betag1013's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5


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julesdbaker's review

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

4.25


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thebookwormkatie's review

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adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-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

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stellarya's review

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dark emotional informative medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0


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bookmarksandcaffeine's review

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

3.5

A little slower than I like my HF. 
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it's a slower paced, lyrical historical fiction set in the swamps of Mississippi 1920s during prohibition. It was dual point of view but unique - first 1/3 of the book was Ada's POV/background, then 1/3 was Matilda's POV/background and then the last 1/3 was their POV together in the super present. The "dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption" never really felt real to me - it was more in the background and the story was more about Ada and Matilda's personal struggles and triumphs that they were forced to endure because bootlegging was happening around them.

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rebthack's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5


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bookmarkedbya's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5


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