Reviews tagging 'Violence'

My Name Is Leon by Kit de Waal

6 reviews

dyerra's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Addiction

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Violence, Alcoholism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

asourceoffiction's review

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My heart broke for Leon so many times in the course of this book. His emotions are laid out so beautifully on the page and it's wonderfully written. It really captures a child's mindset, from the minutiae of watching raindrops run down a window to half-overheard conversations that lead to enormous misunderstandings. Leon's anger, his sadness and his capacity for love are so raw.

Despite the current of sadness this is really a hopeful story. The characters Leon finds along the way and the different ways love manifests for him almost bring a sense of joy. Sylvia is a prime example and the way their relationship begins to blossom is so lovely. She's a grumpy cow but I did grow to love her!

It was really hard to get over the idea that Leon, as a mixed race boy, was considered unadoptable in the early '80s, while his white younger brother finds a forever family and they're separated so early on. I like to think the events following the book have them finding each other again somehow, otherwise the joy is much harder to hold on to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Police brutality, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction

kath_knits's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Hate crime

Minor: Violence

nialiversuch's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Slavery

abookishwasp's review against another edition

3.0

This was an amazing book! It about much more than what the synopsis lets on! I would have given it a 4 stars but the only problem was the writing, since you read from the perspective of a 9 year old, it’s very simple and childish and it’s not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn’t stick with me. 

Also trigger warnings form abandonment, racism and violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, and Violence

han2709's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

3.0

Solid characters and setting but the plot was a bit slow in the middle of the book. Audiobook was well narrated by Lenny Henry.

Was interesting to see things through the eyes of Leon. It was heartbreaking at times but was ultimately heartwarming and redemptive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Violence