Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

107 reviews

minareadsa19e1's review

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.0

Another sad book about growing up in Glasgow with an alcoholic mother. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Murder, and Pedophilia

m4rtt4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

A Glaswegian version of A Little Life. So sad, so painful, almost cried and had it been longer I probably would have cried — then again the book felt a bit dragging at times, so I'm glad it wasn't longer (and honestly my heart wouldn't have been able to take it either).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Grief

rachpach's review

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Homophobia, Abortion, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, and Sexual violence

dontwanthvn's review against another edition

challenging emotional

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Emotional abuse

levtitticus's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion

babymoomoocow's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a heartbreaking book. Douglas Stuart writes characters so real you easily get sucked into the book. You really just want to hug Mungo and tell him it'll be okay and that he should run away with James. But life really isn't like that and neither is this book. 

This book is definitely a book you're gonna want trigger warnings for because it's not for the faint of heart. 

I was listening to the audiobook as I read the physical copy and I think that's ideal because you hear the glaswegian accent and how things flow. It makes for a much better reading experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Classism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

lauraevelyn's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Blood, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Addiction, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

remimicha's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Abortion, Ableism, Abandonment, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Classism, Bullying, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, Murder, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Hate crime, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Infidelity

maggiemaryamos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, Physical abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Torture

notthatcosta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? No

3.25

This was a book of two halves for me. I loved it as an ethnography slice of life from the East End of Glasgow in the 90s, which I found very interesting. The characters were very well fleshed out and the 'world' felt incredibly vivid and visceral. Douglas Stuart is clearly very talented at world building. 

However, the flashes forward to the plot at the loch veered into misery porn in a way that felt unnecessary. I hate the countryside as much as it is, and I don't feel like the events that transpired really added anything to the book, nor did it really inform the plot. I feel like it would have been a total triumph had it completely erased that sub plot, including the ending.

Overall the excellent parts outweigh the part I resented having to read, and I'm keen to read Shuggie Bain off the back of this.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Animal death, Alcohol, Sexism, Child abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Homophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Classism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Rape, and Sexual assault