Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Stone Yard Devotional

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

19 reviews

knittedpig's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

georgiarybanks's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Content Warnings

memeraryfiction's review against another edition

3.75

emotional reflective 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

This is a contemplative book that beautifully explores the complicated nature of forgiveness.

Content Warnings

lusinstrella's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Beautiful but also boring and kind of repetitive, mice mice mice, bones bones bones, Helen Helen Helen, basically till the end

Content Warnings

adoto's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective 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

I didn't expect to love this wonderful book so much. The blurb sounded so boring to me but it ended up being so beautifully written. This is probably one of my favourite books of the year.

Content Warnings

kimb2's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This novel is not for the faint of heart. It delves deeply into introspective and contemplative themes, tackling weighty subjects with unflinching honesty. Written in an epistolary style, the narrative leaves the protagonist unnamed, adding a layer of anonymity that draws the reader further into the narrator's internal thoughts.

The story follows the narrator as she retreats from society after experiencing profound loss, and seeks refuge in a religious commune. The quiet, monastic life of the commune provides an ideal backdrop for a journey of deep inner reflection and vulnerability.

While at the commune, the sisters face the return of a former member’s remains, a severe mouse infestation, and an unwelcome guest from someone in the narrator's past. The author has cleverly written the story in such a way that as the seasons shift towards colder, darker days, so do the emotions and the intensity of the mouse infestation, heightening the novel's sense of isolation and the burden.

Guilt, regret, forgiveness and grief are explored throughout the story. These feelings and emotions are personal, solitary experiences. By that I mean that the path to healing is dealt with differently by every individual and there is no prescribed right or wrong way to go about it. The story also touches on societal topics like vegetarianism and homeschooling, among others, that, in earlier times, led to alienation . The mice are, therefore, in my opinion, are a metaphor for the emotions, differences, and discomforts society often tries to suppress.

Though this is not a fast-paced action story, its emotional depth is compelling. It invites one to ponder some of life's most important and difficult questions. Despite its somber tone, there is some hope, offering solace amidst the darkness.

Content Warnings