Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

178 reviews

gem192's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Grief

elliehaahr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Grief, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Mental illness

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-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

4.5

Definitely a fatiguing book but the kind of book you’d want to teach or take a class on. So much going on in here! People I rooted for despite myself, the goldfinch as an emblem, the psychological triggers for the choices made compulsively, the life of the painting and the parallels to the soul of the protagonist, ask the people we meet by chance and what that really means, etc. Long book worth every minute and every page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

redroseses's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Blood, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Drug use, Addiction, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Racial slurs and Animal cruelty

shopgiri's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

5.0

An incredibly smart and rich novel. I want to say it's one of the best things I've ever read. I love novels that keep my mind active and make me remember that I know how to read properly and read into things, and this is exactly that. I felt totally raw (and smarter) by the time I finished this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Addiction, Drug use, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Violence, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racial slurs

bizzyizzybee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gun violence, Cursing, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

izzybell's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Violence

cinnaminskies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Trafficking

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

3.0

I think this one just wasn’t for me. Tartt is undeniably an incredibly gifted writer. Her characters leap off the page. The Goldfinch reads like a memoir and I often found myself wondering how it’s possible that someone could pull such real characters out of their head. The audiobook narrator is also masterful in his performance of each one. But part of why I continued to ask myself this was because their lives, and consequently this book, are just so oppressively bleak. Like, I’m a proud Sad Girl™, but this felt like too much sometimes. 

There were also numerous times where I felt like we were gearing up for an ending only to check the audiobook and realize that somehow I still had 13 hours left. As I got to the end, I started to have my usual audiobook thoughts of “maybe I’d like this more if I read with my eyes,” especially with the discussions about the importance of art to the human experience. But I’m not sure I would’ve had the endurance for this book in print. And when it does finally end, it feels very

Boris

ex machina and entirely too quick and easy. I don’t know, man. Maybe all the new adult fantasy I’ve been reading lately is finally rotting my brain. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Murder, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Vomit, and Sexual violence

Terrorism, bombing, organized crime

kbweis's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.5

donna tartt has a terrible case of not being able to shut up itis 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, and Death