Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

4 reviews

emmyisaturtle's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

Very very emotional but beautiful read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Addiction, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Take the trigger warnings very seriously — very very heavy book

cheaploaf's review

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Very dark and a little hard to read at some points because of the main character being a young child facing terrible things. Beautifully written, the author has an amazing way of using metaphors to really capture the imagery of the story. Would definitely recommend but also take care while reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

savvylit's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Lullabies for Little Criminals is incredibly bleak. Yet I couldn't stop reading. O'Neill has a gorgeous way of writing about brutal events that kept me craving more and more of Baby's story. Baby is an incredibly real-seeming narrator and character. O'Neill perfectly captured the thought patterns of a child and the ultimate effect is devastating. No matter what terrible things befall Baby, she only wants to be loved. That need for love gets her into even more awful situations that genuinely broke my heart to read about. As I read, I came to realize that O'Neill displays a clarity when writing about life on the streets as a child in Montreal that could only stem from familiarity. As it turns out, she was also a poor child in Montreal in the same time period as Baby. One can only presume that much of this book is drawn from what she did and/or saw in her own youth.

I'm very much looking forward to reading more of O'Neill's work after this. There's almost a melodic quality to her prose that I am eager to experience again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol

jasmineb's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Grief, Violence, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Pedophilia