Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

22 reviews

kayarosee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

This was a hard and heartbreaking book to read. I resonated a lot with the character of Jodie as an older sister myself and saw my younger brother in the main character Mungo. It took me a lot longer to read than many other books this year. But a heart-wrenching novel. I would call this the more depressing, more poverty-stricken “Call Me by Your Name”. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Blood, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Alcohol, Murder, Homophobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Rape, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Pedophilia

mona_ambt's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

DNF at p238 (end of chap 16)

I am unfortunately unable to finish Young Mungo because it's too emotionally challenging and I'm so not in the right state of mind for it, but i do want to know the ending. (Probably means I'll never come around to reading A Little Life either, which is sad)
I went into it not really knowing what it's about and maybe, just maybe I should've thought of checking the trigger warnings. 

With all that said, this book follows the story of Mungo in Glasgow. He meets James with whom he falls in love, or feels an illicit attraction for. He is sent away to a fishing week-end with 2 men from the AA, after being found out by his mother. 
The story is cut into two times intermingling: Mungo and James's meeting and the week-end away.
I quickly enough got attached to the characters and their (ever-present) struggles and I could have cried too many times to be counted. 

If you want to be sad and revolted against the whole world, read Young Mungo.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Rape, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, and Abortion

vidyasargeant's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, Abortion, Addiction, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Outing, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

“And what for? For liking Mungo Hamilton, the ruiner of all good things.“

I have never felt so absolutely gutted after finishing a book, nor have I wanted to give a character a hug as much as Mungo. Stuart writes such a devastating story of a sweet soul who deserved so much more than what he was given. After checking trigger warnings, I would highly recommend, this is a new favorite for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, Outing, Murder, Homophobia, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, and Pedophilia

steffi_jo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Homophobia

Moderate: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Rape, Blood, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Drug use, Death, Miscarriage, and Murder

hannahdg's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Rape

Moderate: Miscarriage, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, and Homophobia

exquis's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Child abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

pkc's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

At the half way point, I couldn’t have envisioned giving this book five stars. Some of the subject matter is harrowing and tough to read, but tell me why I finished reading it, feeling, of all things, hopeful? Mungo as a protagonist is sweet and complicated. His journey of discovery is as joyful as it is harrowing in places and seeing him endure what he does filled me with a deep sense of anger and hurt and seeing his transition at the end of the novel left me feeling conflicted.

No one should endure what he has to, but the result is that he survives his ordeal with his brother and the loch and comes back with a sense of perspective - he will fend for himself and do what is right for himself.

 

All in all, a much bleaker picture than ‘Shuggie Bain’ but definitely more complex and engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Animal death, Bullying, Vomit, Rape, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Death, Medical trauma, and Outing

mabs_grace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

2.5

There were parts of this book that I liked as much as a 5 star read, but the toxic masculinity and abusive nature of the characters really started to piss me off by the time I was half way through the book. I loved the writing, it was beautiful but god damn I almost DNF’d this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Homophobia, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion

tashmachin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pedophilia

Minor: Excrement