Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

79 reviews

mai_books27's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book took me by the throat and broke my heart and i still couldn't put it down. The storytelling is atmospheric and phenomenal, the characters are so tangible and human. I cannot recommend this book enough, but due to the weight of the subject matter it's one you have to pick up in your own time. A new favorite, for sure. Violen  but soft and loving, this book is worth every penny. Please read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death, Outing, Murder, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Rape, Police brutality, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexism

johannamrr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

first of all, this book needs a fucking content warning jesus christ
anywayyy, the pacing was a bit off for the first 150 pages in my opinion bc nothing happened and it was getting slightly boring imo 
the writing is great though it‘s just the plot (and how graphic it is) that I struggled with
also, this book is advertised in such a weird way?? like people need to start making it clear when a book is as violent as this one is because they really didn‘t and I don‘t like when stuff like this is being jumped on me (my bad for not looking up the content warnings first, i guess)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Violence, Abandonment, Murder, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Abortion, and Physical abuse

introverted_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

I am going to have to pore over this with a pencil. 10/10, cried a few times, prose is beautiful I need to write a full review 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Rape, Abortion, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Violence, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Drug use, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Outing, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

rebecca_cant_read's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Addiction, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, Classism, Death, and Pedophilia

vifed's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

The book was slow paced, but in a really good way. I kept coming back to this book, even when it was slow.

This book made me sad, angry, frustrated, and just overall emotional. And it should. Young Mungo is heartbreaking. But it’s hopeful, with little glimmers of love and happiness, told from the perspective of the working class. It’s insightful, detailed.

Maybe a little too detailed? I felt like the author kept harping on about insignificant things in some areas, as if to give the most detailed background information. Maybe I just haven’t deep-dives into the book. Maybe I just haven’t looked for the symbolism yet.

I liked this book. I feel so sad, but I have hope. I have hope for Mungo. I’m attached to the characters in so many ways. I have hope for everyone in the book.

That is, the characters that remain alive, anyways.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Abortion, Child abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Abortion, Homophobia, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Outing

maddb_96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Death

madread8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Physical abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Murder

Minor: Abortion and Animal cruelty

em_h_ma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

samstar's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Drug use, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Classism, Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

hypocrisis's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

4.0

felt like i was being wrung out like a wet towel, truly gut wrenching passages in there which is why i had to shelve it for a couple of months before reading the second half. there are beautiful moments of hope but you never get to savour them as the inevitable next chapter looms over peaceful scenes like a dark cloud. 
what i love about stuart's work is the realistically complex full characterisation of the families in his books, once again the mother figure sticks out in this regard. definitely worth a read if you can stomach it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Violence, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Outing, Excrement, Infidelity, and Misogyny

Minor: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts