Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Anthem by Noah Hawley

6 reviews

asquareclaire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Warning: Between the gratuitous violence and coverage of many dark topics, this may not be for everyone. I'd maybe liken it to philosophy that reads like a Chuck Palahniuk novel. 

Halfway through, I still wasn't sure if I liked this book - I even considered putting it down altogether. Having finished it, however, I will be immediately recommending it to friends & probably buying a few copies to give out. 

"Anthem" is right.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Self harm, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Hate crime

It’s a lot. There’s a point to it, but it’s a lot.

vlawton's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Grief, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, War, Trafficking, Eating disorder, and Adult/minor relationship

nmirra's review against another edition

Too dark, too pessimistic, and too close to the actual news for enjoyment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Suicide

ambergrewal's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racism, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Mass/school shootings

amywoolsey_93's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-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? No

4.25

A scream into the void in novel form. I imagine some people might be turned off by the amount of explaining and editorializing, not to mention the premise involving mass suicide, but I found Anthem weirdly comforting. It's the first fictional work I've encountered that treats the COVID-19 pandemic not as just a weird event but a catastrophe that permanently changed the world. The reality it presents, full of teenage avengers, evil billionaires, and apocalyptic violence, feels truer than the fantasy of normalcy peddled by politicians and the news, where society in its current form is not only logical but desirable and a stable, prosperous future is not only possible but inevitable because the story America (humanity?) tells itself is one with a happy ending. What's more absurd than insisting that an absurd thing is not absurd? Anyway, LOL.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Eating disorder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Confinement, Mass/school shootings, Self harm, and Vomit

ashleysbookthoughts's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

2.5

I loved Hawley’s book, Before the Fall. So when I saw that he had a new novel coming out that was kind of a dystopian critique of America, I was excited. The jacket description of this book is bananas, but it begins as a compelling, insightful critique of America and how divided we’ve become. 

But then it devolves into a bit of a mess. I think I get what Hawley was trying to do. He’s attempting to satirize the current state of America. But I think his point and his narrative get bogged down by the fact that he’s trying to do too much. There’s no issue that isn’t included. We get everything: the political divide, climate change, opioid epidemic, social media, COVID, the Me Too movement, Q-Anon, gun violence, the war in Afghanistan, and more. There’s even a Jeffrey Epstein type character. 

To his credit, Hawley acknowledges within the text that the world he created is “ridiculous,” but his points still come across as heavy-handed. It isn’t helped by the dialogue, which is often clunky. There are too many metaphors; people don’t talk like this. 

Somewhere in here, though, is a good story. I was invested throughout and anxious to see where it was going. Unfortunately, the problem, to quote from the book: “Simon sighs. It’s all so vague.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

Moderate: Antisemitism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault