Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

94 reviews

katerybs's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Violence, Murder, and Misogyny

kenziemick's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Child abuse

agnela's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Medical content, Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Murder, Sexual content, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Abandonment, Blood, and Grief

courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I loved this book. I tried to listen to the audiobook and it just wasn't for me. I gave it a second chance after two people on tiktok said it was their best read of 2023. I read this quick and was immersed in the storytelling. I loved how the three narrators converged. I loved that the three female narrators did not have direct connection with Ansel, but had known him briefly in the past in some way. The reason I did not give this five starts is because the fleeting way in which the author touches serious subjects within the american prison industrial complex and policing in america. I don't think she should get props for simply just mentioning these issues... For example, Saff mentions this dilemma with a majority of the prison population being black and brown men. Ansel mentions that it is unfair that it is mostly black and brown men on death row with him. But that is as far as it goes. I do not think it should be praised at some great look at the prison industrial complex in America because it just isn't. I think it is better to be seen as the way in which true crime culture forgets those that live with the impact of these celebrated monsters choices. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Abandonment

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Stalking

wholesomeghost's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Violence, Murder, Sexism, and Stalking

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Addiction, Confinement, Death, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, and Emotional abuse

queenbookbuff's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

This book is a study on why humans do what the do and the impossibility of truly understanding why people do what they do. How sometimes the  person who commits horror doesn’t even know why the did it.
I only felt sadness reading this book.  This book gives a bleak look at why the death penalty is seen as futile. In the end I didn’t have pity for Ansel. I didn’t find any redemption in his end and I’m not sure his victims did  either. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Murder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism

samantha_06x's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Death, Pregnancy, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Racism

ember_is_gay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This was amazing, one of the best books I have read this year. I cannot wait to reread it. 

I really liked the focus on the women from throughout his life. I think they are so often forgotten; even when they have been the direct victims of the crime. They easily slip away into just another women who was killed by a man while a lot of serial killers became infamous and who we see movies made about and who people obsess over and fall in love with. But then there are the women we don't even think about who have been impacted by these men. And to see and hear from them (even fictional) was so amazing and so insightful. 

I also found the chapters about Ansel so well written and pieced together. They were such a good look into his brain and the way he thought about things. He was not just reduced to being a serial killer and I think it was a nice touch for exploring the complexity of humans.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Murder, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Violence, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

rebeccadiv's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

This book is heartwrenching and hard to look at sometimes, but important nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Murder, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Grief, Mental illness, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

laurataylor's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Blood, Death, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Body horror