Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

38 reviews

nelination's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

Minor: Rape

This could still be very difficult to read if you’re working in a hospital or lost someone due to covid. Please tread lightly

mamaquiereleer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Rape

Minor: Suicide

lauhiggs's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-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? It's complicated

2.75

Station Eleven is set in a post-apocalyptic Canada and America. A virus has swept through the world, taking people’s lives at an alarming rate. The world starts shutting down, electricity goes, phone signal goes. It swaps between pre and post pandemic life. Following a cast of characters who’s lives dramatically change from the life they once knew. 

I raced through the beginning of this book. I loved the sections about Arthur and Miranda’s relationship. Miranda, an introverted artist who just wants to create. She doesn’t care if her work is seen it sold by anyone but herself. Arthur is your typical “successful actor”, several relationships with multiple wives, lots of money, lavish lifestyle. The parts I liked the most of this book were the parts before the pandemic. 

The book also focuses on a travelling Shakespearean theatre group, navigating their new world and bringing plays and music they love to audiences all over Canada and America. I think these sections of the book could’ve been a lot more compelling. It felt like nothing was happening then something happened and it was wrapped up too quickly. 

This book was hugely out of my comfort zone, so maybe it just wasn’t for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Child death, Medical content, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse

sonyakalara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I really wanted to like this book but Station Eleven has some structural and stylistic issues in my eyes. Firstly, the world feels a bit too small in that the central 4-5 characters meet after the flu in ways that are highly improbable. It’s not convincing that they would accidentally run into each other again in a plague stricken world. The character growth also didn’t seem that convincing; side characters were introduced to create an impetus for change in the main characters and then they disappear into the background again which doesn’t feel like truly self-motivated change. Stylistically, the book does a lot more ‘telling’ as opposed to ‘showing’ so many of the characters feel like shells with descriptions rather than full people. I never forgot that I was reading a book, I was never hopelessly enveloped into this world. I will say that the Station Eleven comics are an incredible focal point for the book and the concept of a Travelling post-apocalyptic Symphony is pretty rad. All in all though, this one is a definite skip. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Violence, and Child abuse

pastelkerstin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

fungivibes's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.75

A nice and unique take on a post collapse civilization. Not much really happens tho and the characters don't develop much. but I love the focus on art as an integral and important part of humanity and society.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Pedophilia

awells96's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Suicide

Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Pedophilia

leeloslay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse