Reviews tagging 'Death'

Liliana's Invincible Summer: A Sister's Search for Justice by Cristina Rivera Garza

16 reviews

claraarianne's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

bashsbooks's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Liliana's Invincible Summer is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. When the Mexican justice system fails to produce the file pertaining to Liliana's murder - let alone bring her killer to justice - Rivera Garza uncovers her long-dead sister's voice through letters, notes, journals, and testimonies of friends and family. The two sisters' voices become braided together in the process, speaking in a complicated tangle of love and grief. I constantly thought of my own sister, who is barely older than Liliana was, while I read this, and several times, I had to stop to cry. It's a haunting account of how intimate partner violence escalates, and how the signs are often missed by a society misogynistic and desperate to blame the victim. It surpasses Rivera Garza's goal, which was to recreate the missing file, by far - the detail and care put into this book is beyond what a coldly professional report could muster, of that I'm certain. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Abortion

Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Excrement, and Toxic friendship

-Death of sibling -Implications of necrophilia

siobhanward's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

NYT Notable Books 2023: 16/100

I wasn't sold on this book at first. I'm used to books that focus on the crime itself, rather than the person, and I think that's a flaw in publishing more than anything. Rivera Garza's choice to focus mostly on who Liliana was, rather than her death made Liliana feel real and human. The combination of letters, notebook scribblings and accounts from Liliana's friends painted a picture of who she was beyond a victim, which was a cool change to the normal flow of this kind of book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Murder

librosdenopal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, and Gaslighting

_emsreads's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Murder

saramosquera18's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting

carlaah1984's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

lovest's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This is such a heartbreaking and powerful book. Starting from the point where Cristina decides to tell Lillian’s story, and backtracking through Lillian’s own meticulous writing, as well as the account of the people who were close to her before her murder. This book helps us reframe our preconceived ideas of domestic violence and the women who experience it… 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Stalking, and Murder

ccate's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Abortion