Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

6 reviews

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

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I loved this. A blend of magical realism and cowboy Western, but recast to actually examine and expose the glorification of violence (and particularly colonial violence) in the genre. James explores the legacies of violence among colonizing people, and through an Old-Testament-retribution storyline, questions if redemption is possible and what responsibility future generations have. I loved how easily the story moved between our two historical timelines (the late 1800s and the mid 1960s) and how our grim reaper shadows the story literally and metaphorically. I loved the use of an actual narrating storyteller within the 1960s timeline, as it creates a fascinating contrast between the actual depiction of history and the main character's attempt to romanticize it for his own absolution. At times, it felt like James was speaking to us directly through this storyteller, as the 1800s storyline is largely inspired by her own ancestor, and you can see how she is using this narrative to question her own inheritance.

This is routinely billed as Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, and my one quibble with this is that the author's perspective is so radically different than these authors, and the characterization of the leading men in this story underscore her efforts to avoid romanticization or glorification of patriarchal traditions and colonial violence. These men are pathetic, greedy, indecisive, immature, and, eventually (finally) reflective and seeking. It's not just a story of fate, adventure and family curses, it's a dismantling of the cowboy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Child death, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Stalking, Suicide, and Gun violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Misogyny, Animal death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Body horror, and Classism

Minor: Pregnancy

ukponge's review

hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy

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

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

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