Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

22 reviews

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

jasminrain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

This book shattered me but it's also one of the best books I've read in a while. It's a brilliant, yet extremely heavy description of what it was like to grow up queer and working class in Glasgow. One should definitely check the content warnings before reading this book as it's a very challenging read at times. and it touches upon so many different forms of hardship. At the same time, I think it's a brilliant description of queer love, poverty and what life in Scotland was like back in the day. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual harassment, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Addiction, Death, Rape, Blood, Homophobia, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy

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

pppabblo's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Outing, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Violence, and Domestic abuse

tabear's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit

rebeccaddnti's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Child abuse, Cursing, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Vomit

theresah's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book.. there were parts i was so angry i had to put it down and now that i’ve finished it, it’s always on my mind. Heartbreaking view into the life of Mungo, my heart hurts for him 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

blainereads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was good. I haven’t felt such tension in the last pages of a book since Normal People, probably. Every paragraph (in the last chapters) was a gut punch. I truly didn’t know what was going to happen until the very last sentence (upon which I absolutely let out a breath I fully realized I was holding).

There were moments of such beauty in the prose, devastatingly juxtaposed with the darkest, ugliest elements of humanity. The author is a master of manipulating diction with such subtly that you never feel bulldozed by purple prose or other such literary devices and yet occasionally are just walloped by the truth of the words that you have to go back to reread passages. 

I’ve also not read a dual timeline executed SO well before; while I usually find time gimmicks can tend to be a bit annoying, the story is structured in such a way that you just get dizzying, satisfying emotional whiplash. It’s a bit slow in the beginning but the build up is absolutely worth the emotional payoff. 

I LOVE location as character and this created an incredibly immersive experience that I immediately felt transported to a gritty blue collar Scotland every time I picked up the book. It’s well-situated in its time and yet is also timeless all the same. The language element, though perhaps a bit distracting at first, added important color and character and facilitated a real rhythm of language that I don’t often feel when reading.

I could probably go on and on. I haven’t read the author’s booker-winning debut yet but after this??? I simply have no choice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Violence, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, and Murder

rzh's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This was absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't change a thing. 
I love Glasgow, and this is obviously written by someone who loves it just as I do: the descriptions of all the streets, all the people...just mesmerising, makes me want to tear up. Every single character has a story, a reason for their ways, a mammy at home... and it never feels overbearing, or too much background. The way it deals with class and sectarianism and alcoholism and toxic masculinity is heartbreaking and red raw. I've seen some people say that this is just a rehashing of Shuggie Bain, and though I can certainly see that, I read another book by Douglas Stuart because I loved Shuggie Bain, and everything it was about. This was different, but not too different where I felt like it was off piste. The non-linear structure built together into a crescendo absolutely beautifully, the prose was so stunning, its about my favourite place in the world for all its flaws... it was just heartbreaking, and magical, and that's everything I loved about Shuggie Bain, and loved all the more here. Jist perfect. <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Outing, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Abortion and Suicide attempt

sapphicsolace'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Abandonment