Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

10 reviews

judassilver's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Child death, Blood, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol, Colonisation, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Racial slurs, and Misogyny

Minor: Religious bigotry and Suicide

gabi_tron's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Body horror, Violence, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Racism, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Blood

jtemplin's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

4.25

CAWPILE Rating
Characters - 8
Atmosphere/Setting - 8
Writing Style - 8
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 7
Logic/Relationships - 7
Enjoyment - 8
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Average - 7.71428571428572

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Colonisation, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Xenophobia, Child death, Cursing, and Racism

Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Child death, and Toxic relationship

elizabeth_lepore's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Animal death, and Blood

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Colonisation, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Hate crime, Death, Gun violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Blood, Body horror, Torture, Violence, Cursing, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Rape, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

savvylit's review

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

This Western epic blends historical fiction and magical realism. Gonzalez James creates an incredibly cinematic plot: the places, the larger-than-life characters, the chase scenes, the shootouts... This book would make an excellent movie. That being said, the focus on the plot means that there was not nearly enough character development for my taste. I left The Bullet Swallower feeling as though I only got to know each character on a surface level. However, if you love Westerns and plot-heavy storytelling, you will love this book.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance reader copy of The Bullet Swallower in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Murder, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Violence, and Grief

ginabelle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

I think I was hoping for more magical realism aspects and less religion but I admire how this book grappled with the question of how to grapple and take responsibility for the sins of the past. It was missing something for me, but I can’t put my finger on it right now…but it was overall good!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Blood, Violence, Colonisation, Hate crime, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Gore, Grief, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Child death, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Torture

nehaanna's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

A fantastic quick read that blurs the lines of reality and fantasy in the similar vein of many  authors such as Gabriel García Márquez. The story is frightfully real, and the illusions it weaves are as skillful as any magician casting a spell. There is relief as a decades long battle with humanity’s streak of goodness against a backdrop of evil culminates after a 68 year long penance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Murder, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Genocide, Hate crime, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Alcoholism, Vomit, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy

lvleggett's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Xenophobia, Violence, Islamophobia, Death, Murder, Grief, Racism, and Gun violence

arsmi24's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

This was a solid book of magical realism in a historical Western setting. It's like nothing I've ever read. I don't feel this will be one that I re-read, but I'm happy to have experienced it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Death, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death and Child death