Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn

38 reviews

greylovesbroccoli's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Police brutality

Minor: Alcoholism

katiecoconut21's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Ella Minnow Pea is a delightful story told through letters exchanged by liberal arts enthusiasts on an island off the California coast, Nollop. Only these letters become harder to write when their government forcibly removes access to more and more alphabetical letters (I recommend reading out loud when you get to the end; you'll know when).

This story is a young adult, dystopian novel. Amidst the familial ties, striking dystopian characteristics sneak through, making the story all the more interesting in the midst of what may appear to be a simple story.

I truly loved Ella Minnow Pea, and I highly believe it will be considered one of the classics. Give it a read if you haven't; you won't regret it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Police brutality

laguerrelewis's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

I have heard nothing but praise for this book, and I’m happy to say it certainly met my expectations!! In equal measure heartwarming & funny as it is horrifyingly relevant, this is a quick read that paints an unfortunately believable picture of censorship and the slippery slope to totalitarianism. Reminds us of how important language, community, and our freedoms truly are.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Confinement, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Death

Minor: Suicide attempt

pastlifetragedy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism

blipbloopsie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

nagoatsis's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Super fun to read! The concept gets a little old towards the very end but it’s very engaging to read through it and always be looking for letters that aren’t supposed to be used

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Suicide attempt

eliisar's review

challenging funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Very clever and funny. Original story, the author executed it well. I liked flipping between the Council notices and regular letters to find where exactly they used forbidden letters. It was fun to see how much I missed, and how easy it was to miss. It did get a bit confusing near the end as more letters fell. I had to reread sentences multiple times to understand what they were saying, but all in all it was an enjoyable read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Ableism, Death, and Suicide attempt

annaavian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

1.0

This book attempts to portray itself as something deep and thought-provoking, but ultimately falls flat. While the book's characters write clever and emotive letters, they're still just letters, leading to a pedantic recounting of events. As a result, the characters have no life or vibrance, and the reader is left with nothing but the dull experience of reading letters from strangers. 
There are many better books that explore similar themes of totalitarianism, censorship, free speech and the power of language in more captivating and inspirational ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry and Police brutality

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Violence

Minor: Ableism and Suicide

cultofshezmu's review against another edition

inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism

starlitpage's review against another edition

challenging funny fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Deportation

Moderate: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Gun violence