Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

12 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

krisheiney's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.75

Margaret Atwood leans into evocative imagery and rumination on language in this book. At times, it reads more like poetry, as she turns words and adages on their head, leaving no linguistic stone unturned. What a pleasure also to see a cynical octogenarian as a narrator. Atwood does not shy away from the effects of aging, especially under the burden of remorse and a troubled past. The book-within-the-book unfolds and wraps around the main sections with little hints at the mysteries behind what we are directly told scattered throughout. I found the book rather slow at times, but otherwise, a skillful masterpiece. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Child death, Kidnapping, Suicide, Sexism, Miscarriage, Death of parent, War, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

emmonsannae's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

Even down to the last twenty pages, this book wasn’t what I expected. It did move slowly, and I wasn’t especially invested in it until page 350 or so, which is a long wait. But the construction of the book (a novel within a novel) is interesting enough to make up for its slow pace. M.A.’s writing is arresting as well—even when I wasn’t invested in the story I enjoyed her telling of it. And the ending was a gut punch that made the early reading feel like a very worthwhile use of time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, Death, Alcohol, Car accident, Classism, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

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

tmleeper's review

challenging emotional slow-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: Death of parent, Suicide, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

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

machenn's review

challenging mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Sexual content, Car accident, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abortion, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War

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

caitlinforster's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicide