Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

34 reviews

kajoreads's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-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? No

3.0

The beginning felt slow and dragged out. Luckily it picked up some pace towards the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Murder, Fatphobia, Grief, Suicide, Death, and Body shaming

Minor: Gun violence, Terminal illness, Cancer, Pregnancy, Violence, Chronic illness, Drug use, Medical content, and Sexism

daffodilcherry's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

NEGATIVE REVIEW: Had heard rave things about this book, but was disappointed! As a whodunit lover I wouldn't recommend it. With 115 chapters in 380 pages, the POV shifts and repetitive telling (not showing) of scenes was very annoying. Top of the annoying choice list was the random journal excerpts from Joyce, told in first person. Overall, the various plots, characters and murders were overly complicated and Osman failed to provide enough information to pretend that he'd given you enough to figure out who'd done it as you went along. This book had pacing issues that I fell are due to bad editing, if you find the first 20 pages choppy it doesn't get any better. All the characters are written to be likeable but I disliked them all at the end. The only character I miss is Ian, who was an asshole, because everyone else just annoyed me by the end. 

Wheelhouses: older main characters, whodunit, cosy murders,

unreliable narrators

.

Doghouses: choppy chapters!!!!! Please for the love of all that's good stop killing the momentum by randomly ending the chapter in the middle of a scene, the weird diet talk/fat shaming/writing about Chris overeating crap food which seems to be Osman's leading theory about people being fat being overly slovenly and lazy, Osman's pedantry about biscotto singular in the POV of the cockney boxer, Joyce's overly cutesy first person POV chapters that absolutely killed any momentum or immersionn and made me froth with rage.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming

bronzel's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Racism, Violence, Murder, Body shaming, Terminal illness, Dementia, and Xenophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Blood

te_ss_i's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Dementia, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Suicide

arudnicki's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Alcohol, Suicide, Murder, and Body shaming

revafisheye's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Charming cozy mystery set in an upscale retirement community. Aside from the murder-mystery aspects, it touches on grief and loss in ways I was not expecting. I have already recommended it to several friends.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Fatphobia, and Ableism

Minor: Domestic abuse

wickedgrumpy's review

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The characters were lovely.  I imagine I will pick up the next in the series at some point because I thought it was a charming read, even though it wasn't my usual cup of tea.

Also, I know it's a murder mystery but I wasn't expecting so much casual death.  Was a bit grim at times.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Infidelity, Murder, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Trafficking, Alcohol, Animal death, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Sexism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Police brutality, and Suicide

luciferin's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

PLEASE read and heed the trigger warnings for this book. I didn’t, and I can only tell you that if I had, I probably would’ve hesitated reading it, because that one specific warning TRIGGER WARNING 

suicide

isn’t just something mentioned in passing in the book, MILD SPOILER WITHOUT SPOILING MUCH

it happens, repeatedly, and more or less graphically.

 

Anyhow. This book made me laugh, then cry, then laugh again, then stare melancholically into the distance, then cry again. It made me gasp and question the whole plot I just read, it made me root for people I maybe shouldn’t root for (but always will, because I LOVE. MORALLY GREY CHARACTERS. Always have, always will. Because life is fucking morally grey. And I both LOVE the ending and dread its implications.) I really like all of the characters and I cannot wait to see where their paths will take them. 

The dialogues are incredibly funny and so very British, the pop culture references were so good and there were quite a few plot twists (both storywise and in the development of one character or another) that I didn’t see coming, which rarely happens. It was a very enjoyable read, and a mystery slash crime that didn’t try the absolute hardest (while failing) to be sooo inventive and new and what have you. But it still manages exactly that. It’s a fresh-ish view (sometimes it kinda feels like visiting all of Agatha C‘s figures in the retirement home they live in together, but in a nice, old memories way, not in the way of plagiarism) of crime solving with a group of people that have seemingly lived their lives with spouses and children and careers and such, who now still have just as much fun in using their different abilities (I love Ibbsy and Joyce and Bogdan especially) to solve murderous puzzles. 
I also like how it alludes to things they have done before coming to CC and I‘m really excited to learn more about Elizabeth‘s past at some point, even though I have a hunch about her vocation. I like how the author often sets us on wrong tracks until we suddenly understand what exactly is happening or who is involved; it often made me notice that I am still, unfortunately, thinking in a very socially normative (not to say heteronormative, able-bodied, ageist kind of way, because I pride myself on AT THE VERY LEAST noticing if I do and correcting myself; so rather in a pop culturally normalised) way, MILD UNSPOILERY

for example with Donna and Chris. I never would have thought of THAT. And I LOVE IT.

I love when books do that. 

Also, please be aware that while this IS indeed a book about murder old and new, it also talks about lot about transience in life, loss, the pain of living itself, loneliness, estrangement from family members and or friends or lovers, the impact of being oneself on the life one gets to live. Characters are desperate, lonely, tired of living, ill, slowly slipping from their loved ones‘ grasp. It is FULL of heavy topics, so if these things are not something you want with your lighthearted crime solving, skip this. And again, HEED THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. 

Still, even though none of these are topics I actively seek out and or enjoy or usually read willingly if I can avoid them, the descriptions of the TMC‘s members‘ lives actually weirdly give me hope. I am not scared of aging: it is very much a privilege which only few of us get to enjoy. But seeing those wonderful elderly people with all of their pasts and aches and losses just having fun with their friends, accomodating their lives to what they can do and how, and joking about it. I want to be like that later on. 

So yeah, I am very much looking forward to reading the next installment in this series. 
Oh and also, Joyce and Donna teaching Elizabeth how to be modern and and correct and inclusive in her way of speaking? Love. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Fatphobia

Minor: Animal death

nick_thebucket's review

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it so take this with a grain of salt: the writing was just alright.

The characters were very lovable, and for a mystery novel there really weren't that many loose ends.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Chronic illness, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, Medical content, Abortion, and Child death

msjenne's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

A lot of times mystery novels just feel kind of pointless and contrived, but I really enjoyed this one! There are lots of fun characters who have interesting relationships with each other, and since they are all very aware that they’re solving a mystery and sort of “in conversation” with the concept of mystery novels, it all works better than you’d think. Plus always bonus points for middle-aged and elderly characters. 
I could have done without the one guy’s body/diet issues but overall it was a delight. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming and Eating disorder