Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

31 reviews

thetiniestbookclub's review against another edition

emotional informative sad slow-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

5.0

„Übertretung“ von Louise Kennedy, in einer Übersetzung aus dem Englischen von Claudia Glenewinkel und Hans-Christian Oeser im Steidl Verlag erschienen, wäre mir trotz des großartigen Covers wahrscheinlich durch die Lappen gegangen, wenn meine Kollegin nicht so voll des Lobes für diesen Debütroman gewesen wäre. Und was soll ich sagen? Absolut lesenswerte „Anti-Liebesgeschichte“. 

Louise Kennedy macht schon im Prolog deutlich, dass hier kein Happy End zu erwarten ist. Und dieses Wissen im Hinterkopf färbt den gesamten Roman, wie der nordirische Konflikt alle Beziehungen zwischen jenen färbt, die mit ihm leben (müssen). Nie ist die Liebesgeschichte zwischen der jungen, katholischen Lehrerin Cushla und dem deutlich älteren, verheirateten, protestantischen Prozessanwalt Michael rührselig oder kitschig. Kennedy schreibt schmucklos und klar von zwei nicht perfekten, mitfühlenden Menschen, die alles in ihrer Macht stehende tun, um dem Terror ihrer Umgebung mit Fürsorge zu begegnen und doch Religion, Nationalismus, Hass und Gewalt nur wenige Stunden abringen können. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, Gun violence, Death, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, and Alcoholism

caitlin_123a's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Sexual content, Alcohol, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, and War

Minor: Vomit, Body horror, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Blood

qqjj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Classism, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Addiction, Violence, and War

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, Self harm, Violence, Mental illness, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Police brutality, Stalking, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Murder

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This one didn't upend my brain, but I liked it. I think it's an interesting look at survival during basically wartime. Everyone has to keep moving, but it also feels impossible to do so. I didn't love Cushla, but I don't think I had to, and maybe it created a nice separation to be able to look at the whole story. I DID love the precious little boy at school. And I do tend to like a little forbidden romance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Death, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Bullying, and Violence

Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Stalking

marenvgl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Police brutality, and Alcoholism

doireann_ni_chaoimh's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Death, Bullying, Alcoholism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Cursing, Death of parent, Classism, Police brutality, Infertility, Hate crime, and Grief

rad_reads_123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Bullying, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Infertility, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

jacs63's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

Can't recommend this book enough.
Best read of the year for me, so far. 
Totally deserves all the nominations and rewards. 
The writing is exquisite.
A tragic and heartbreaking, historical love story, on so many different levels of love. 
The characters are flawed but loveable. The story is so....real. 
As Cushla says at one point...'This is going to end badly...' and you know it will. 
It's doomed from the start. The age gap, the different religions, the troubles in Ireland, he's married with a child....and a serial adulterer. The decisions you make. The coincidences. The lies and deceit. 

It made me feel guilty that, as someone of recent Irish descent- 3 generations back-I haven't tried to read more about the 'Trouble in Ireland'. I am out to find some good books to read now. I lived in the UK till 1974 so I remember a fair bit. 

Couldn't put it down once I started it. 
I hope Louise Kennedy writes more books soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Torture, War, Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Murder, Bullying, Death, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

mraddd's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Religious bigotry, War, Alcoholism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Police brutality