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tifftastic87's review
- 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
I really wish the only black character in the book hadn't been King's typically magical being and that we didn't have to have him be magical for his incarceration to be in question. I do like that King made some comments early on that minorities in prison are rarely given the same freedoms, or excuses, or even pardons that white people are. But some of the use of Coffey in this story is hard to hear because not only is he incredibly large, he's incredibly dim witted. He is simply a being of instinct with a deeper sense of the world than the rest of us. He is almost childlike in some aspects, being afraid of the dark, not being able to tie his shoes etc. It is uncomfortable at times to hear it that way.
The other thing is that listening to it as an adult versus reading it as a teen I really wanted Paul to stand up to Brad a bit more. There never was any consequences for him and that just didn't sit right with me. But then, rarely are there consequences in life.
Criticisms out of the way, the episodic writing really made the whole feel of the book different than most other King books. Usually we sit with the main character for half to two-thirds of the story before anything really happens and we just get to know them. But with an episodic story like this, you have to get to know them organically and to me that really felt like Paul was sitting down and telling me the story of the fall of 1932 on the green mile. It felt comforting, like a story my own grandparents would have told me around a campfire. Apart from all the brutal murdering that is.
It really felt King did some work here to make criticisms of our prison system, nepotism, and, of course, capitol punishment. There is some light commentary on how race plays into a lot of these things and I think for a book published in 1996 by an older white man, that is maybe not as common as it would be today. While the commentary was clunky and not without it's fair share of white saviourism, it was nevertheless, at least broached.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Cancer, Child death, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, and Vomit
Minor: Ableism
rmfickfack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
boundforinfinity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Child death, Rape, Murder, Cancer, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Police brutality, Gun violence, Death, and Racial slurs
leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Gore, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Murder, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Confinement, Terminal illness, and Violence
chopspy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, and Child abuse
autumnruth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death
ilmariel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Dementia, Racism, Car accident, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Child death, Grief, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Cancer
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Blood, and Police brutality
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Animal death, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Rape
markedwithanm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Homophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Blood, Car accident, Confinement, and Torture
stephanie_plum's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
sexualedward's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death and Racial slurs
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Gore, Violence, Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Animal death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Police brutality, Alcohol, Stalking, and Cancer