Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

47 reviews

tinana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad slow-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? N/A

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Blood, Grief, and Murder

joneva's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

maggie_desu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Allende's ability to write about three generations, all intertwined, including historical moments and so much more is really amazing. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Grief

qingyibenshu's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Grief

monse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief

coinmanatee's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

Read for Class.  I actually skipped ahead. I didn't have time nor the patience nor the will to read most of the middle section. Maybe that's where it gets good? But I doubt it. 

I liked this book right up until the moment Esteban Trueba opened his mouth. It's very very difficult to like a book that makes a rapist it's hero. A rapist, conservative, abusive, asshole of a man who never learns his lesson and dies without ever once realising that his actions are the reason that the rest of his family suffers such horrendous atrocities. 

In any other book this man would have been the villain, and the point would have been to get away from him. In this book another man is introduced who is even more monstrous. 

It's also just, really horrifically violently sexual in a lot of other ways that I got sick of very quickly. It's hard to like books that are sexual like that when you're Ace. 

The one shining character in this book is Clara. I liked reading about her. 

Unfortunately she was surrounded by idiots who treated her as a child,  or an object, which did ruin her a bit. If you have a woman in your family who regularly performs magic, and makes prophecies, why aren't you listening to her every word? Idiots. There were tons of things that could have been prevented or at least the danger of lessened if anyone had thought "hey, maybe the earthquake the medium is predicting IS going to be horrific. We should take precautions!"

Ugh. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Classism

timna's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is weird, because you spend 90% of the time you're reading it hating it. It's the story of three women over three generations, and with each generation it gains a little more pace and a little more tension as the plot leads gradually to

the Chilean military coup

, which does mean that the first and part of the second generations are a little lagging--so about half the book. But by the end, the love between between people and families, and even more so, Allende's love for her country, becomes so clear that you can't help but love the book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Vomit, and Antisemitism