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Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

35 reviews

beccaand's review against another edition

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

4.0

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I had to restart this book several times because I had trouble getting into it initially. So glad I kept at it. It kept coming up on must read lists, and I’m so so glad it did. Everything about the book - the setting, the characters, the plot, the motivations, the themes - all of it was unexpected. Even though I disliked every single character, I really liked this book. That is a rarity for me. 

My only wish was that it had been broken down into more chapters. Because there were only three chapters, it was hard for me to break up my reading in between daily activities.

This is a book I’d like to see taught in AP English and college classes across the US. Is a very well written allegory for the state of today’s world. Starts out slow, but comes to a screeching halt at the end because it speeds up so fast by then that it’s the only way out can end.
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kelsea's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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krmontgomery's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book made me think more than others I’ve read. It started out very slow and picked up pace as it went. 
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saltycoffee's review against another edition

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

2.75

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utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

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gmaz's review against another edition

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dark tense 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? Yes

3.0

Overall, I did not like this book. I guess I'm a weirdo, because reading other reviews, people did not like the beginning, saying it started out too slow. I very much enjoyed the beginning, and I did not like part 3. The first part, especially, reminded me of Jonathon Franzen or Don Dellilo, psychological character studies, and I wanted more of that. I went into the book not realizing the "thriller" category it was in.

I could not get over Owen Darvish's death by Shelley. It didn't make any sense to me, except to set up all the thriller aspects in part 3. It seemed gratuitous. Sure, it shows Lemoine is a bad person, but that's not the only way. Why do we have to murder people to have be shown people are bad? Murder seems like such a cheap and lazy solution. I wanted the deep psychological aspects of character development to continue, people playing mind games or social tactics to get ahead. I really wanted to know who was going to win—Lemoine, or Birnam Wood, or the Darvishes? In the end, nobody won. We all lost.
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ellbutler's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? Yes
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jacs63's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

I never vibed with Catton's Booker prize winner 'The Luminaries' but I enjoyed 'Birnam Wood'. 
Its not a 5 star read for me, but its up there. 
It's well written and a page turner.
The first 2/3's of the book do drag a bit, as many have complained about, but I guess its how she sets up the plot and describes the characters.
Then all hell breaks loose in the last third, until a bit of a damp squib of an ending. I was feeling like it all just ran out of steam a bit. 
Enjoyable, but was left wanting more.
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aileron's review against another edition

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

2.0

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