Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

11 reviews

dmariefern's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

TRIGGER WARNING readers. I struggled to get into it. However I’m happy I kept at it. There were a lot of chafed gees and storylines to keep up with that at times got confusing however I did  truly enjoy it and read it fast after I got past the first few chapters.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Grief, Miscarriage, Bullying, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Medical trauma

meliemelo's review

dark 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

 Crime novels aren't known for their boundless optimism, but this one seemed especially bleak. While crafting very nuanced characters, Paula Hawkins did not care for making them likeable with the exception of Irene and, to a point, Laura. The "One who got away" chapters were an interesting enough idea but ended up being a bit repetitive and didn't bring much to the book in the end (and the end of that particular thread had me roll my eyes). Finally, I felt the book lacked tension and purpose beyond the "whodunnit", and even that didn't keep my interest up much.

It's not a bad crime novel, and there were definitely some very good ideas in there, but it definitely doesn't compare to the author's previous works. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, Car accident, Death, Dementia, Violence, Alcoholism, Incest, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Body shaming, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault, Cursing, Infidelity, Rape, Miscarriage, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent

jamballdonut's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

2.25

So far of the 3 books I've read by Paula Hawkins, I've only enjoyed 1 of them, and it was not this book.  I mean, it was an okay book, but jumping between the characters got confusing and I just didn't find myself liking any of them (Not that liking a character is a prerequisite to enjoy a book, but it obviously helps).

I don't have much to say other than when the killer was eventually revealed, although I didn't suspect it would be them, I just didn't care.

Both Carla and Miriam were just.. not enjoyable in the slightest.  Carla was boring and bland, and seemed massively underdeveloped, while Miriam just seemed like the nosy neighbour who can't keep her nose out of anyone's business

(Also, constantly mentioning how horrifically ugly she was, while only really focusing on her having an unattractive face, bad teeth, and being fat made me feel very.. not great about all of that.  Was there actually something wrong with her? Or was she just not conventionally attractive? She was short and fat, so that makes her some hideous beast? Mmm, no thank you.)

In comparison, although Laura grated on me, especially in the beginning, she became the main character that I truly enjoyed, mostly because she seemed authentic in a way that none of the other main characters did.  Carla's husband, ex-husband, current boy toy, whatever you want to describe him as was equally as bland, boring, and vapid.  Nobody cares about your "Main Character Syndrome", sir.

I think if she'd kept the same cast of characters, but had it from the focus of only one or two characters, it would have been much more enjoyable.  But, the switching between the main 4-5 characters, and focusing so much on previous deaths just got distracting and made the story feel bogged down to the point that the actual recent murder didn't even seem like the main plot point.

Altogether, after thoroughly enjoying Girl on the Train and thoroughly disliking this and Into the Water, I really can't see myself picking up another book by Paula Hawkins.  I want to love her, I really do, but she just makes it so hard to do so.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Grief, Mental illness, Medical content, Child death, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Abandonment and Incest

thefictionalhevschwar's review against another edition

funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, and Rape

eeculp's review

dark emotional 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

Quick fun read! Like a lot of these, I figured out most of it but there is one final surprise at the very end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Self harm, Pedophilia, Rape, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism

robbiclaire's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Ableism, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Medical trauma and Emotional abuse

Minor: Child abuse

shiran_fa's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, Animal death, Alcoholism, and Child death

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Kidnapping

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical content

jextown's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4 stars may be generous, but I was  pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this book. I’ve never actually heard of Paula Hawkins and I really only put this on cause it was on my shelf for some reason and I’d just finished a book I loved so much that I needed something easier I didn’t care about so much as a break. I wouldn’t say I’m an avid reader of crime drama and I’m not one to be dissuaded  by predictability. But the cast of characters and themes throughout this book I found compelling. I particularly enjoyed the commentary on storytelling and the crime/mystery genre. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Murder, Alcoholism, Violence, Car accident, Confinement, and Medical trauma

nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Child death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Car accident, Infertility, and Kidnapping

biblio_jordyn's review against another edition

mysterious slow-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

3.0

What could have been better?
There were parts that were super slow and the book felt pretty predictable. Also I feel like sometimes there were triggers for triggers sake?

What I enjoyed?
I came in with pretty low expectations because I HATED Girl on The Train so this was better for me than that.

BUT after I got about halfway I thought it was faster paced and got more entertaining. I think, while a bit predictable at times and very triggering, the book developed well and had some suspense that I enjoyed. Also the multiple POVs helped keep my interest.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews about this book but I fall somewhere in the middle! Overall, it was entertaining but not the best thriller I’ve ever read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Self harm, Medical trauma, Child death, and Animal death