Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Lessons by Ian McEwan

6 reviews

rasputina_99's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Car accident

Moderate: Cancer

mrlsdevos's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Dementia, Car accident, and Death

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death of parent

pipnewman's review

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed this read, and stuck with it which is saying something as I don't often read books this long. Told from the perspective of Roland, who grows up in the aftermath of the Second World War, the book is very rooted in the historical context. It was interesting to feel that each character was deeply influenced by the historical and political contexts- arms races, the fall of the Berlin Wall, political movements in Britain, all the way through to the covid lockdowns. However it did feel very male centric- all the male characters were significantly more developed than the female characters and it felt like the genre of 'grandad telling his life story at the dinner table'. Also massive massive content warning for sexual assault / harassment / pedophilia - it jumps in right at chapter 1, threads through the whole novel and is very confronting if you are not expecting it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Car accident, Death, Cancer, Grief, Abandonment, and Terminal illness

Minor: Domestic abuse, Dementia, and Fatphobia

raelin's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I am glad I finished this, because I liked it more than I thought I did halfway through. I needed the reflections of the old man on the young man to balance out the thoughts of the young man, and I had to keep reading to get to that part. 

There was a lot in this to digest and it is ripe for discussion in a book club.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Dementia, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness

Minor: Infidelity and Domestic abuse

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.25

The start is a struggle tbh but it does improve a lot, about growing up and getting old and just life more generally

‘He wasn’t waiting for her. But if she ever turned up he wanted his options open. Which was another was of saying, he was waiting.’

‘A form of narcissism, or closely related paranoia.’

‘It was his right to want nothing.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

agata_94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Terminal illness, Blood, Alcohol, Cancer, Car accident, and Death