Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

202 reviews

camjennings's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

alexandramillar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

rosecott's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful, heartbreaking, devastating, incredible! Surprised me so many times! The main character was wonderful, as was the scene setting of Alaska. The kind of book that just lives in you. A story about absolutely unconditional love. 
Highly recommend but warn that your heart will be ripped out and stomped on before the end!!!
I listened to the audio book which was brilliant but this is one I am sure I would have been equally as enthralled by the physical book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Grief, Death, War, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

mdburdine's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Mental illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Terminal illness

cpkottakis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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

5.0

A truly beautiful survival story full of lessons about deep love and loss. One of my favorite reads!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

debbilynn42's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, Medical content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, War, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

songbird918's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Cancer, and Addiction

Moderate: Gun violence

jenneyrebecca's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

It’s hard to rate the pace of the book because it starts slow and then accelerated rapidly About halfway through.

Two faults: 1. the beginning feels hollow and cliche - a coming of age story about a gangly redhead whose always the new kid at school. (But this quickly evaporates into a compelling and beautiful family drama.) 2. There are a few plot points that feel like they happen only because the author needs them to do something (create tension, let time pass).

(like the move to Seattle and finding the newspaper clipping that prevents them from going home to Alaska, or Mama catching Leni calling Matthew and forbidding her from doing it, which keeps them in Seattle and ignorant of whether he’s recovered, and then when she returns, everyone almost says whether Matthew is conscious but still I hung in every word. Also what about the poor Seattle grandparents? We just leave them behind grieving the loss of their daughter while their granddaughter and great grandson immediately move away forever!

 

It has been a long time since I stayed up all night reading a book. I could NOT put it down. It absolutely hooked me with its themes of domestic abuse, mother-daughter trauma bonding, horrifying discoveries about one’s own parents … and with such a satisfying ending. There are people who would fault the book for not being dark enough, for plot points that aren’t cruel enough. Not me.

And the imagery was great! I have never been to Alaska but I felt I could imagine the town and the people vividly. Two of the heart-rending quotes that stopped and caught me will tell you precisely the core of what this book is about:

“You could always tell when Dad was gone. Everything was easier and more relaxed in his absence.”

“The baby’s minuscule fingers closed around hers. A searing, cleansing, enveloping love blew her heart into a million tiny pieces and reshaped it.”

They seem simple but went to the heart of what hooked me about this book - the felt sense of being in a household with an abusive man

(especially as the realization of it is a huge part of the first half of the book)

and the many mothers in the story learning and sharing what motherhood means.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Gore, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Rape

craizydaizy1014's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, War, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Cancer, Murder, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Animal death

sehenry20's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy