Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

25 reviews

pikkumarja's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Tässä on vähän sellainen keski-ikäistyneen naisen voimaballadin sävy, mutta toimii kyllä nuoremmillekin ja oikeastaan varmaan kaikille lukijoille. Aiheet ovat todella raskaita, mutta kieli on todella kaunista ja kerronta pitää otteessaan vahvasti. Kukkiin kiinnittää kirjan jälkeen enemmän huomiota ja jälkisanoissa + kiitoksissa on kerrottu kauniisti siitä, kenen maalla ja kenen tarinoista ammentaen kirja on kirjoitettu.

Alicen ja tarinan muiden naisten vuoksi toivoisin, että kirjassa ei olisi miehiä niin paljon. Miehet eivät oikein nappaa.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

tfsill227's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

2.0

The writing was lovely and it was fun to reminisce over my time in Australia, but the story just didn't grab me. This book reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing but set in the outback

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury

amylee_21's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

abrown04's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

This book was amazing in terms of the comparisons to flowers and everything, but it just had so many loose ends and things that didn’t make sense. June? I would fight the old lady, what an absolute bitch. Clem? Absolute asshole with a saviour/guilt complex. Dylan? Exactly the same as Clem. And Alice? She just let everything happen and never tried to do anything about it. Not only that, but she ignored the only guy that would’ve been good for her. And Oggi? JUSTICE FOR OGGI AND MOSS!!! 

It ended abruptly and felt rushed towards the end, and it felt like Alice hadn’t actually resolved any of her trauma. Absolutely mad at how it ended. 

Paperback. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death

Minor: Cancer

jailala's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

An excellent contemporary read! This book spans the first few decades of the main character's life (while also exploring the past of her family members to explain why she is being raised the way she is) so it can feel a bit disconcerting if you don't know this.

There are three almost separate seeming 'chapters' of Alice's life explored so it helps to know that going in- otherwise, the break between her early disjointed childhood understanding into the people caring for her in the second part can through you.

The third part, told more from her adult perspective was fairly easy to read (though the topics she works through can be triggering to some- brutal!)  Another author might have simply told the story only from that third part- throwing in bits and pieces in flashbacks to help you understand.  As it stands, we are led through Alice's life from beginning to her final growth into an adult on her way to a well-rounded life and we get a much more complete picture because of Ringland's choice of structure.

I found this choice of structure particularly intriguing given Alice's constant struggle to get the caregivers in her life to simply be straight with her and explain her family's history to her once and for all already!
Those who do not understand their history and, by extension, their family's history, are doomed to repeat the same bad patterns over and over.
Hiding the past almost never ends well and can actually be quite destructive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Minor: Stalking and Animal cruelty

While the entire book is cathartic, in order to get to the growth of the main character the story goes to some pretty traumatic places. None of it is over-the-top or used purely for effect. All of it has specific ramifications and growth relation to the characters.

lynds_13's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

I wanted to love this book. I really loved the start and really loved the end. The middle was too drawn out and honestly boring. Some of the writing was so breathtakingly beautiful. I just wanted to love it more than I did. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty

alicejm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

A good first novel, but very clearly a first. The writing style was disrupted and jolty. The main characters weren't given room to breath, and the side characters (who were by far the best characters) weren't given enough time. The lack of communication between family members was infuriating and unnecessary. This is not the book for you if you find miscommunication frustrating. The first half and the second half were written very differently. The mystery aspect was really compelling though and I enjoyed wondering about things. The exploration of generational trauma was also very well done. If you want to find out more about flowers, this book ain't it sadly. All the flower meanings are made up.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Grief, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Infidelity, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

jrae1334's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Medical content, Deportation, and Panic attacks/disorders

mari_teran's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death of parent, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal cruelty

moizd's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Death of parent