Reviews with content warning for Death - Birnam Wood | The StoryGraph

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

41 reviews

isabellew27's review

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adventurous mysterious 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

2.75

Well-written but way too much detailed character development and too little plot development/action.

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deedireads's review

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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

4.5

WHEW.

This was on my TBR all year, and I finally squeezed it in as my last book of 2023. What a powerful (but very heavy) note to end on, kind of like 2023 itself. The story is about a group of activists who call themselves Birnam Wood, planting vegetables in random plots of land, and a billionaire whose interests briefly intersect with theirs, to devastating effect. I should have thought a little bit harder about Macbeth as I read this one, and maybe it wouldn’t have walloped me as hard in the gut as it did; truly, I have only myself to blame there, lol.

I can’t quite say that I ENJOYED it — it’s tense and uncomfortable and heavy — but it’s also unputdownable, almost like a thriller in the second half. Nearly every character is morally gray, which keeps things interesting and gives it depth. There’s no denying that Eleanor Catton is an incredible talent. The Luminaries has been staring at me from my shelf for months, and I think it’s finally time for me to make it a priority!

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knels813's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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beccaand's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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cheyison's review

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adventurous 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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krmontgomery's review

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book made me think more than others I’ve read. It started out very slow and picked up pace as it went.

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jtpgdavey's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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saltycoffee's review

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reflective tense slow-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

2.75

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jesstaurant's review

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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

4.5

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utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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