Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Stealing by Margaret Verble

6 reviews

sjanke2's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Racism, Classism, Genocide, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Addiction, and Alcoholism

gwenswoons's review

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

katrinky's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense

3.5

the most telling thing about this book for me was the acknowledgements section,where verble said she wrote this book in 2006-2007 but held onto it for years because non-native readers and editors didn't know what Indian residential schools were and couldn't fathom the depth of their depravity; that what happened to kit at one was too much of a break from verble's otherwise crystal clear, realistic writing style. so the publication of this book was really only made possible by the horror of discovery by white folks in the last 5-10 years that she had not actually been exaggerating in the slightest.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Racism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Gun violence, and Grief

rachelle_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. I went into this book expecting a lot of residential school horror. That was there. But the bigger story was the compelling point of view of the young protagonist, an elementary school student (3rd-4th grade) trying to make sense of the world around her during a whole lot of family turmoil and grownups disagreeing on what’s in her best interest. 

I was especially drawn into the exploration of when to push back against oppressive systems/people and when to accept them quietly, although not willingly. 

I will be reflecting on this book for a long time to come and seeking out more by this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Child abuse

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Death of parent

reading_rainbow_with_chris's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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? No

4.0

“Stealing” by Margaret Verble

CW: Rape, child abuse

Kit is a young Cherokee girl who has experienced a lot of sadness for her age, but her indomitable spirit and curiosity about the world keeps her moving forward. Her curiosity is what leads her to meet the woman who moved into her late Uncle Joe’s cabin, and her world starts to unfold around her. I am deliberately trying to be vague in this review because a significant amount of the impact of the book is how Verble passes the revelation of information, so I will stop with any indication of the plot. What I will say is that Verble has a deft hand at handling sensitive topics. She doesn’t shy away from hard moments, but they still have a sense of delicacy to them in a way that shows they aren’t about excess or shock; they are needed for the narrative. My one critique for the novel is that I don’t particularly care for the narrator voice. For me, it felt as if Verble were trying to write with three different voices: author, 9-year old Kit, and older Kit. As a result, I don’t feel I got a clear sense of character in the voice. However, it’s not so far off; a minor adjustment in any direction would give it more character, and it is certainly not such a distraction as to take away from this heartwrenching and important novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Child abuse

Minor: Gun violence and Alcoholism

annabulkowski's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Homophobia, Medical content, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Sexual harassment, and Terminal illness