Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann

7 reviews

mana_tea's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

It would probably only have been four stars if this story hadn't been so full of nostalgia and childhood for me. I could imagine that you would have to have read/listened to it as a child (for the first time) to like it now as much as I do and adults would find it a little harder to get into the magic. The more old-fashioned language is lovely, but certainly takes some getting used to. Unfortunately, there are also clichés and words that are no longer in accordance with the modern times.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racial slurs, Violence, and Sexism

poirot's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Animal death, Racism, Violence, Death, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Slavery

nikenacs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging lighthearted 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and War

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

This was a 2 hour radio play by BBC and I loved it. What a magical way to tell the story and the narrators and sound effects were fantastic! I hadn’t read the story before so I had a great time hearing the actual story that all the retellings are based on. Add this to your Christmas audiobook TBR if you haven’t already.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Animal death, and War

hawksrye's review against another edition

adventurous

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Self harm, Violence, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, War, and Ableism

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, and Gaslighting

Note that a character threatens to throw away a child's toys. There is a threat to an infant's life, that instead manifests as a curse. Mentions of mice considering eating humans, which is technically not cannibalism but may still affect those with that trigger.

laura_huey's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

I first came to The Nutcracker many years ago through the ballet. This was my first time reading the novel. I found it to be very different to the ballet but delightful. I was able to get though it one sitting, and would recommend it for upper primary children as a fun Christmas read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: War, Violence, Slavery, Racism, and Racial slurs

The book was first written in 1816 and is very much a product of its time, and therefore uses very outdated language to refer to various disabilities, facial differences, and races. It’s important to read it with a critical eye and through the lens of reflecting on the past.

aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

For some reason I thought I had already read the original nutcracker story, but I’ve never heard this story before now. I’ve seen the ballet twice and a million more times in other forms whether film adaptations, live recordings, or what not. This story is so much more complete overall than the one presented in the ballet, which was always a grief I had with the ballet. The story is fairytale weird and strange, but that is one of the things I love about fairy tales and stories inspired by fairy tales.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, and Violence

Minor: Grief, Colonisation, and Ableism