Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

16 reviews

aviabraham's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.0

This book was such a freaking bummer. I loved the overstory a lot which is the only reason I read this, since it’s really not my usual kind of book, but I was super disappointed. The narrator is the most boring, annoying character in the story. I found the way the author talks about women to be bizarre and dehumanizing.  The ending felt rushed and didn’t make sense with the rest of the narrative. Would not recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Grief

meremeth's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty, Ableism, Death of parent, and Bullying

okayletsread's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

There are so many devastating themes packed into a fairly compact package. On the surface, this book seems to be about astrobiology, conservation, environmentalism, animal rights, and politics. Really, it's an exploration of a father-son relationship as they navigate the grief of Aly, Theo's wife, and Robin's mom.

The writing is at times stunningly crafted, and other times, it was a bit meandering. I have a hard time really investing in books that very directly have an agenda, but much of the prose still kept me interested. The climax at the end felt a bit rushed, too. My feelings are a bit all over the place with this one, but it sure made me think. Good books do that. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death of parent, and Mental illness

izzybell's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Child death, and Death of parent

m4rtt4's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

3.5

Like Overstory, this book also gave me so much to think about — what is important in life, what even is life? It was also highly emotional and gave an interesting insight on raising a child on the spectrum. This book had so much potential, but it aimed too high. There were so much interesting concepts like decoded neurofeedback and the whole near-future dystopian world with all its catastrophes; it's almost criminal of Powers to create such future scenarios and only mention them in a single sentence, a fleeting moment. I was very intrigued at first, but I lost my interest more and more towards the ending because I knew that I'd never get the explanations I wanted. In that way the story kind of stayed true to itself, though — just like me, we as a society will never know enough about this world and all our answers might be wrong. The ending was lame, it was too dramatic for no reason and the results weren't even properly dealt with.

the death of Robin was so unnecessary and didn't even give the story any emotional value as it was just quietly swept under the carpet — also you just can't end the book by him dying without even telling us the consequences?? just let him live, his death didn't even have the symbolic impact of 'we humans are doomed' as it probably was intended to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Ableism, Violence, Child death, Animal cruelty, and Car accident

alaina's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Utterly devastating and beautiful meditation on being a person who loves in a changing and challenging climate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Animal death, Deportation, Xenophobia, and Animal cruelty

Climate grief and environmental destruction are central to the story. Political division and the rise of fascism also present throughout.

hippejulia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

3.5

Aika masentava kuvaus jostain lähitulevaisuudesta joka ei edes ole ilmastokriisikuvauksillaan niin kauana todellisuudesta. Paikoitellen minusta vähän ableistinen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Ableism, and Mental illness

Minor: Medical content and Infidelity

jaynovara's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Grief

Moderate: Self harm, Mental illness, Child death, and Car accident

Minor: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Infidelity

laurenmvmills's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Animal death, Death, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Medical content, Bullying, and Car accident

elliannasedona's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence