Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

22 reviews

mariaisabelad's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Has interesting elements, but ultimately feels pointless at the end. I understand unlikable characters are a cornerstone of Flynn's writing, but this has the most insufferable batch. The multiple perspectives have moments of insight that are interesting, but it ultimately stalls the pacing and at times feels totally unnecessary. The setting feels way less fascinating than Sharp Objects' claustrophobic Wind Gap, or the suburban nightmare of Gone Girl. I hope the adaptation fixes my issues with this, but I don't feel too hopeful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Abandonment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

allifaro's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

2.25

My word for it is just: gross. I think the story was well written, but not my cup of tea. I say gross because there were just details, I felt unecessary, but maybe they help paint the picture. It has a satisfying ending though! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

sydfitz24's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

himpersonal's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

I expect more of Gillian Flynn. This book was terrible - terrible story that was terribly told.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

illgiveyouahint's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-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

3.5

First finished vacation read!
I wil lsay I'm not much of a crime thriller reader. It's not really my thing.
However the first 3/4 of the book were great. I enjoyed the switching between now and then. I thought the three narrators had all distinct voices. Ben was so beautifully stupid and teenagery. I occasionally found it funny even.
But I gotta be honest the ending really disappointed me. After all this build up I expected a bit more. It felt like the resolution/reveal came out of nowhere and it was all tied up with a bow all too neatly in my honest opinion. Like it was such a let down after such a build up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Confinement, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Medical trauma, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation

punkrockingnerd's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

There are def some sections crossed out because of trigger stuff, but DAGNABBIT, Ms. Flynn is SUCH a good writer

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Incest, Trafficking, Stalking, Car accident, and Abandonment

brandie_abbie19's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer and Colonisation

basilica's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury

maddwomann's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying and Domestic abuse

arianamaya's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Alcohol