Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Overstory by Richard Powers

41 reviews

julziez's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Violence, Death, Dementia, Grief, and Colonisation

hkburke2's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-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

Oof! Read this in the category of "books that intimidate you" for book club and it was pretty clear why while reading this. Wonderful, powerful, achey story that is... Meandering and slow and possibly self-indulgent. I loved this book but it challenged me. I wonder what else could have happened in a story like this that was less centered on the US or had different diversity in it? But I liked the tree characters the best anyway. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Violence

middumullu's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

I read a paper copy. It was honestly a slow start, but built up really well. The book is divided into a few different sections so I guess that's how I'll break this up. I don't remember how many there were so I can't get super specific but the beginning/middle/end had very different vibes.

Beginning - sets up each of the different characters' backstories and personalities. It's a pretty diverse cast of characters, and each of their worlds at this point feels distinct and individual and real. It was slow and calm, but I wasn't sure what direction the story was going to go because many of these parts felt like they had closure. The first section ends with an absolute BANGER.

Middle - The second section starts with an absolute BANGER as well. The way the story continued over from each section was done really well. The stories started to merge here and it was interesting to see the ways that they came together, and to try to guess where and when each of the characters and story lines would meet. The middle parts of the book pick up the pace, too. You begin to feel the urgency that characters are feeling, their sense of purpose and connection to something greater. It's inspiring and makes you want to go out and do something to help the world. 

End - This part slows down too. For me it was sad to read, about the state of the environment, the decline, where all of these characters find themselves in life. It felt a bit like crashing back to reality after some of the fantasy of the middle section. I honestly can't remember how it ended but I remember feeling like there was a lot to consider. Our relationship to the Earth, our relationship to each other, the extent of our responsibility for different parts of our life. 

I really enjoyed all of the characters and their dynamics together. I've seen some people complaining about Neelay feeling irrelevant to the plot but I liked his parts. I thought they added a different view of the world that was much needed. Patty of course was my favorite. Icon. Overall a good and thought provoking read, but on the longer and slower side.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Infidelity

Sorry I cannot remember it all clearly because I finished this a while ago. There was also a protest scene where characters are pepper sprayed in sensitive areas and threatened by the police but I don't know exactly how to tag that. Guerrilla environmentalist action is a major plot point within the middle of the book.

anouks_books's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I already look forward to rereading this book in order to understand it better and take notes of all the little, beautiful passages. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Police brutality, and Torture

Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, Sexual content, Drug use, and War

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.5

this book is sooo longgg

talking about a bunch of different people all connected eventually through their love of trees

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicide attempt, Grief, Police brutality, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Medical content

amberlen's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-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

 This is one of those books that will likely open up and expand your worldview. It did for me, anyway. I'll be off, learning the names of the trees that line my street. I don't think we can ask any more of a book, really. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Police brutality

Minor: Suicide attempt

indrabindra's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I'm not sure what I was expecting but this turned out differently. Poetic prose with clearly well researched facts dispersed throughout. I found character dialogue rather clunky, but the plot was captivating. Heavy handed with the mellowdrama to my taste. I don't think this is the "environmental fable" everyone says it is. It's a good story about trees and people, but it is not all-encompassing. Did not appreciate the endings for most of the characters, but I respect that ending a book is tricky. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexism and Cancer

raelong12's review

emotional informative 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

prettyfunctional's review

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Violence, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Body horror

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Car accident and Sexual content