Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

8 reviews

wormgirl's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, Classism, Sexual assault, Abortion, War, Infidelity, Suicide, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Car accident

courtneyreadsometimes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and War

sophieennis's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Grief, Death, Car accident, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Rape, War, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abortion

laurenw's review

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Abortion, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

orlagal's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War

katietmcn's review

dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Suicide

readerette's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

I debated what to say in my review of this book. It's an intriguing set of literary devices, to be sure--stories within stories within stories, nonstandard narrator approach, nonlinear flow, interweaving "news articles" into a narrated plot. It takes quite a writer to ensure that those devices don't become cacophonous, and I think Atwood succeeds in that regard.

It's not a happy tale, which has been my experience with Atwood's other works. There is a great deal of depth in each character, and many different ways that depth is achieved. The level of unhappiness feels true to life--believable, if a bit fatiguing as a reader. There are laugh-out-loud funny moments mixed in with commentary on the meaning of life and wisdom of the choices we make. No character is perfect or overly trope-y. 

The pacing was too slow for my taste, and there was too much content that didn't feel like it added anything except length. I believe others might see that as the way the narrator thinks or different characters engage in the world of the narrator, but for me, the excess was just dull.

Overall, I do recommend for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, slow burn mysteries, or reflective characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Bullying, Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping

alannah_m's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

4.0

This was a fascinating book that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Again, it is FAR too long, and suffers from a complete disinterest in pacing, but I could analyse this for hours and constantly find something new to say. Weirdly enough, my favourite sections were the fake parts of the sci-fi book 'The Blind Assassin'...maybe I just want Atwood to write pulp sci-fi book! I can dream...

Pet Theory for this Book: Alex isn't real


Also, does anyone else see the similarities to Rebecca? Just a theory I'm working on...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide