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isabelboswinkel's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Vomit, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ailbheclaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Homophobia, War, Violence, and Alcoholism
bonkyboot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, and Drug abuse
finn_vibing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Cursing
claudiareed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Drug abuse, Vomit, Addiction, and Alcoholism
_georgiasmith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Homophobia, Death of parent, Bullying, Addiction, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
foxglovefairy's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Bullying, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Classism, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, Homophobia, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Cursing, and Alcohol
mikom10's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Rape
satinnite's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
mashedpotatoandsaladcream's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
it mainly follows shuggies relationship with his mother as he grows from 5-15 watching and caring for his mother as his siblings draw away, forced or willing, as she falls into alcoholism and poverty in 1980s scotland -not only does he struggle with this but he also has to struggle with being an effeminate and seemingly clearly gay kid during a time rampant with homophobia and strict acceptance on what a man should act like. it does have a major list of trigger warning so look at them first if needed but although i said the book is depressing -it almost doesn’t feel that way when you read it. like yes it’s sad and it’s hard reading it at parts and yes it starts sad and ends slightly less sad and i think there’s only like a year period of his life when things are actually happy? but the way he’s written the scenes feels different to me. certain scenes will strick for me (the dancing scene, eugene and the fancy meal with agnes, etc) but the characters just had character and they felt like people to me.
one of these being agnes herself someone who annoyed me so much with how she’d seemed to never try to get better for the kids she seemed to genuinely care for but alcohol seemed to just matter more in its control over her and yet even as she lived in pitshead and all of what happened she still had a pride that was almost inspiring if it didn’t mean it would only lead to her drinking more and pushing her kids away.
and yet when he’s young she relies on him so much that as he grows up we barely ever know anything about him as a person, there were few scenes where shuggie was just shuggie and his identity revolved around his mother -that you wouldn’t know something happened to him until it was referenced once in his narration when with his mother and yet at the end he’s changed and he finally has a friend -something he never had during the rest of the book, in fact most would be shown once and no longer appear and yet by the end he actually calls them a friend.
anyway it’s a good choice if you like a bleak read and i’d recommend for that but not really if you hate them because you’ll just hate this even more.
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Sexism, Drug use, Pedophilia, Cursing, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, Rape, Death of parent, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Blood, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Death