Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

22 reviews

tabear's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Forced institutionalization

alexutzu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I liked this more than expected, as I expected it to mostly focus on literary aspects while being rather weak on the plot, but it was not the case. The ending was really powerful and changed my view on the book quite significantly. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

😍 The good:
The style was literary, but not that difficult to read and process. I liked the cultural discussion that the novella aimed for and the fact that it felt somewhat circular, starting and ending on similar ideas related to women, parenthood and religion. The volume was short, but packed with ideas, and the note in the end really helped in making sense of them. I also felt that the title fit with the mindset of the main character.

😅 The not-so-good: 
Despite the small number of pages, the novella managed to be slow at times, probably due to its style. It also took me a while to understand where this is going, which felt a bit confusing for a part of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Confinement, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny

Minor: Death of parent and Vomit

zara89's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Slavery

Minor: Vomit

garbagebarge69's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery

afion's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery and Child abuse

bejf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Slavery

suzy86's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Confinement, Mental illness, Slavery, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

mimi_jaja's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Child death

samanthaleereads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Vomit, Confinement, Classism, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, and Sexism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

ericj32's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

A tender, yet unflinching, account of cruelty that is easier to passively ignore than to confront.  The protagonist is himself vulnerable and busy, and has plenty of reasons to focus on other things but his mind won’t let him forget what he stumbled into and perhaps wishes he had not seen.  The prose is the main attraction here - it feels as though the author is only documenting what the characters choose to acknowledge which somehow creates a palpable sense of the things that they’re not saying out loud.  This brief little book can be easily read in one sitting, yet it somehow feels like it packs in all of the depth and nuance of a much longer novel.  The author’s humble prose conveys only what must be said.  It almost feels more like a parable, as it’s grounded in ancient, essential truths yet told in an accessible, modern form.  I was nervous about where it was going and how it would end (it seemed fairly predictable) and was thoroughly won over by the thrilling last couple of pages.  Looking forward to reading other works by this author as she seems to have a firm grasp on what is worth writing (and reading) about.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, and Confinement

Minor: Vomit, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts