Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Push by Ashley Audrain

20 reviews

clarahooyer's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.25

Really, really liked it, but was a little offput by the pacing.

The book starts off making me think every problem is the result of the main character being a bad mother. Eventually I started to realize the book meant for the child to be evil. It felt like the book changed halfway through from being a story about generational abuse, to a story about an all out evil child that the mother can't be blamed for. It was very thought provoking( which I like), but I was left wondering how the author intended me to interpret the story. I think that, as a book about abuses cycles, it is almost too extreme in its evolution. However, if viewed as a book about an evil child, than it properly explores all the environmental factors that cause the child to become the way she is.

Definitely a book I will be thinking about for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, Death, Abortion, Grief, Mental illness, and Cursing

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Infertility, Abandonment, Miscarriage, Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content

caoimhe_fleming's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Violence, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Addiction, Pregnancy, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Self harm

aaronreadsatad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Blood, Grief, Drug use, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Cursing, and Violence

Minor: Abortion

lmontoney's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

1.0

This book was so dark and there were no answers in the end. I kept reading and waiting for a twist, a thrill, something but was disappointed. What did I just read?!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Miscarriage, Cursing, Grief, and Mental illness

hhwanghyunjin's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

4.5

As someone who has read and enjoyed many books that explore complex family relationships and the weight of past trauma, "The Push" by Ashley Audrain was a book that I found to be both compelling and emotionally resonant. The novel centers around Blythe, a woman struggling to come to terms with her own past while also grappling with the challenges of motherhood and her relationships with her daughter and her own mother.

What I appreciated most about this book was the depth of the characters and the complexity of their relationships with one another. Blythe is a multifaceted character whose experiences and emotions are explored in depth throughout the novel, and her daughter Violet, while often difficult to understand, is also a complex and intriguing character in her own right. I also found the portrayal of the mother-daughter relationships in the book to be particularly well-done, with Audrain deftly exploring the complicated dynamics that can exist between mothers and their children.

While the book can be dark and intense at times, I appreciated the way that it tackled difficult subject matter with sensitivity and nuance. The writing is excellent throughout, with Audrain crafting vivid and evocative descriptions that bring the story to life. Overall, I would highly recommend "The Push" to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant read, and I would rate it 4.5 out of 5.75 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Cursing and Alcohol

hchigg's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I like the way this book was written, with a reminiscent tone. I liked the back and forth between thinking that maybe she was right and maybe she wasn’t. I liked the ending. The only thing that deterred me away was the way it talked about sex. I don’t reading about it in my books, but I especially do not like when it’s written with harsh language. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing

edie_erkens's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I liked the darkness of this book, but the horrific events that took place were ultimately too much for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, Child death, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Abandonment, Self harm, and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, and Confinement

abrasieve's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gaslighting, Self harm, Blood, Car accident, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Excrement and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, Cursing, and Vomit

thelibraryofanolive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

THIS BOOK HAD ME CRAZED OMG IT WAS SO GOOD CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW INVESTED I WAS

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Blood

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Dementia, and Confinement

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.75

Title: The Push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 5, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Visceral • Unsettling • Complex

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Blythe is sure she will be the nurturing and comforting mother she never had. But in the midst of the exhausting early months, and incapable of connecting with her newborn daughter, she is convinced something is wrong with Violet. When she shares her concerns with her husband, he dismisses her claims.

When Blythe gives birth to her son, Sam, the situation is very different, and it's everything she always imagined a mother/child relationship to be. When their lives change on a dime, it will force them to face the truth.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The hype had definitely subsided when I finally picked up The Push, unfortunately it stilled influenced my reading experience and it ended up not living up to all my expectations.

What I like:
- I appreciated the honest insight and portrayal of the expectations versus the realities of motherhood, yet as a childless woman I didn't connect to the plot line.
- The plot line of multi-generational trauma
- Written as a letter, I thought the format was clever. And it was obvious that Audrain is a strong writer.

What I didn't like:
- The plot delivers quite a few stereotypes but I don't know that it leaves us a whole lot further ahead in our understanding, but rather upholds stigmas that can be detrimental to mental health awareness.
- I believe I'd have liked it more if the ending was different. For me, the ending felt like it was used for shock value rather than a natural resolution.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't call this a thriller, rather it's a psychological drama that is sure to spark discussion. But because the plot has been so overdone, The Push is easily forgettable to me.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a compulsive read
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"A mother’s heart breaks a million ways in her lifetime." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Confinement, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Bullying

Minor: Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, Stalking, Death of parent, and Car accident

postpartum depression