Reviews tagging 'Abortion'

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

57 reviews

librocubicularist_x's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

That was a rollercoaster, I must say
Might check out the movie too

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Abortion and Death

Minor: Drug use

s__'s review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-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? Yes

1.75

The way people talk about this book, you'd think it was the epitome of a crime-thriller. 

1. The only salvageable thing about this book is the explanation given for Rachel's
   memory loss
   . That was brilliant, but it wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the book being boring.
2. The characters in this were extremely unlikable, which is saying something, since I typically don't care about the "likability" of characters. How can you write a book in which your main character is that unlikable?! No, I didn't find her unlikable because of her
   alcohol addiction
   . She was unlikable because she was
   a stalker who kept groveling to her cheating ex
   (Yes, I would have said the same thing if she weren't a woman). How can you make your main character stupid, pathetic, obsessive, and lack self-respect????? I kept waiting for a character arc and it didn't come until the very last page of the book (if you even want to call it that!). The only true character arc was given to Megan/Jess. 
3. The book is written in a convoluted irritating way. I don't have a problem with the different POV's, but why do the chapters have to be divided based on the time of day as well?! You are not doing a good job telling a story if you have to rely on telling the reader what time of day it is even after giving them other details.
4. The book was littered with details that weren't important (No, they didn't help build the atmosphere). Most of the book just felt repetitive and as if the author is just trying to increase their word count.
5. You'll easily figure out the culprit before the halfway mark if you frequently read mysteries. The book lacks all the "thrill" of a thriller (which is especially important if your culprit is predictable), and there's no real shocking, big twist that makes it worth reading through all those pages.
6. I didn't appreciate the negative attitude the book had towards stay-at-home wives and moms.
7. I'm bored of thrillers having the most overdone motive and culprit, or at least do it in a clever and creative way. If you're looking for a thematically similar book, I'd suggest The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. It might not be a 5-star read (at least for me), but it's much more clever in the way it reveals the culprit. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Child death, Alcoholism, Addiction, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Death of parent, Infertility, Vomit, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Racism

gracesullentrup's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Violence, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy and Vomit

Minor: Abortion

c4tism's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infertility, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Abortion

ansfaiv's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

i couldn’t put this book down! it was super good and had a crazy plot twist. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism

Moderate: Vomit, Blood, Child death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Death

Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Body shaming

gblevins01's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Infidelity

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape, Abortion, and Sexual content

joaniinha14's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Descrição numa palavra: gaslight 
Extras: homens são manipuladores, mentirosos e nojentos.
Spoiler alert but not spoiler

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Violence

gilliane'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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

soundlysmitten's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

The Girl on the Train is a suspenseful mystery revolving around a questionable disappearance. The backstory and subsequent fallout is relayed in simple, sometimes eerily haunting prose from the perspective of three different women. Some people have said they guessed the culprit early on, but the foreshadowing didn’t register for me till right before the identity was made known. And personally, I found the way the author disclosed relevant details to be clever. Especially in how she’d leave certain parts a bit vague, only to follow up with precise information that makes sense in retrospect, but initially serves as misdirection. 

 

As for character development, it’s definitely complex, as there isn’t just one true “bad guy.” I believe the author did a good job at telling the emotional side of the story, really delving into the minds of these women who are struggling with trauma and distorted perceptions of reality. Each player unravels pretty thoroughly over the course of the book. But I appreciated the fact that all three women end up making a decision—if brutal or to no avail—to free themselves of whatever dangerous circumstances/mindsets they’ve found themselves tangled up in by unconsciously subscribing to the world’s idea of what it means to have value as a woman. Although, I will say it was hard to feel anything for one specific character because women not being there for women is something that has always bothered me and she embodies that specific toxicity in the most extreme way.

 

The author has mentioned the novel’s themes involve “women’s place in society, the impact of trauma on our bodies and minds, the slipperiness of memory, and the stories we tell about ourselves and each other.” I really couldn’t put it any better. The narrative definitely covers some heavy sh*t, though most instances of graphic trauma occur/are recalled in the last quarter of the book, as the question changes from what happened to 'whodunnit'. Still, please check the content warnings before giving this a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

philippaoderso's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body shaming, Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Addiction, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Blood, Drug abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abortion