Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Dio di Illusioni by Donna Tartt

306 reviews

annaliseg's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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hannahsutherland's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book was fine. I can see why some people like it, but I'm surprised it's as popular as it is. 

I listened to a few parts as the audio book which is narrated by Donna Tartt which is quite nice. 

There were a few things I disliked. 
-It mainly seems to be vibes, with a few shock moments thrown in. It's a thriller, I guess, so that is fine. But then why is it 600 pages long. The pacing is off, the book often drags. 
-Lack of female charcters. 
-The
twincest
seemed super unecessary and I felt the
domestic violence
was very poorly handled. 
-Something about the way the book treats homosexuality gave me the ick. 

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nevaehmaendel's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can't stop thinking about it. Read it. 

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justwannareadbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No

3.5


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gologel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was an amazing read. Tartt knows how to capture her readers, make them root for her characters, make them accomplices of her characters, but also reminds us of their dark sides. Overall it was a very well-rounded story and even though I did not know what I expected from the ending, I was satisfied with it.

The only reason why this book does not get 5/5⭐️ is because the pace was a little too slow for my liking, making me wonder why I was reading about all of that in such great depth, especially in Book 2, and because not all of my questions have been answered.

But that's the most spectacular aspect of the book: you're not sure yourself how much you've been played.

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knmo1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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gothmiku's review against another edition

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

4.75


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ashsparrow's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • 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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beckyg1016's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

2.0

The book description seems, to me, incredibly misleading. "Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor" - you mean the one who barely shows up at all, has minimal lines, and doesn't seem to influence anyone but Henry.  Henry is the driving force of this story and all of its actors. "...discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries." - You mean that one time? While that event is the catalyst for all others, it is not the point of the story - these characters don't "find a new way of thinking and living" - they spend a semester trying to avoid getting caught for a crime they are only somewhat remorseful about and then move on with their lives in much the same way as all of their "humdrum" classmates. 
Additionally, as noted in the Content Warnings section, Bunny is a difficult character to read. I get that you aren't supposed to like him, he is typical for the time, etc. but I was uncomfortable nearly every time he opened his mouth and that, at least, puts you on the side of the other characters. I surely did not miss him once he was gone.
To be fair, Tartt has a lovely writing voice. If she didn't, this would absolutely be my first DNF of the year. The story was captivating for maybe 250/550 pages - the rest was just a push to finish so I could move on to the next book in my TBR pile.
Every book has its reader - and I've seen plenty of people giving this book high ratings - so maybe that reader is you, and you will love it. I hope so. It certainly wasn't for me.

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moonheavn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This might just be the best book I've ever read. I'm still kind of processing the last 70 pages but I will try to sum my feelings up.
First of all: The PLOT TWISTS!! I don't think I ever read something that made me stare at the pages in disbelief so many times. 
Secondly: I LOOOOVE the pace in which this is written, I think it includes everything it has to include, it's not too detailed when it doesn’t need to be, and it's also not the kind of book which glances over everything and suddenly focuses on things that aren't relevant to the story. 
Finding such a long book with this rapid pace is the best thing ever, I was afraid I was going to get bored, but the book is just so well written that it kept me reading and reading every single day.
Third: I'm still kind of disturbed by how much I loved this book, considering one of the main characters is not another thing but a psychopath.
And lastly: This is the most beautifully written thriller I've read. It's amazing. Enchanting. Showstopping.

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