Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

14 reviews

mlthomas234's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this book. The main character Jake is not particularly likable but he is understandable. I also liked the “story within the story” device and how we watched the plot unfold. A pretty solid thriller. I’m not giving it five stars for two reasons: for one, the first act is extremely slow. What the book summary shows as the premise (man steals plot, gets weird message) takes up the first THIRD of the book. This really didn’t feel necessary and ultimately I don’t think that long build up was consequential to the story. Secondly, the twist was fairly predictable— very shortly after that 30% mark. I don’t think a plot twist being predictable makes it a bad book— just didn’t blow me away.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Child abuse, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

katrinasherise's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship

soobooksalot's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

"Fiction invites us into outrageous scenarios. That's one of the things we ask it to do."
 Who is the keeper of an idea, a storyline? Have we, as readers, read anything like The Plot before?
 Thank you to Celadon Book for the group read opportunity and gifted copy for review!
 Jacob Finch Bonner is a struggling author and sometime writing teacher, in search of his next novel. A great one; a bestseller.
 Along comes his big break with the publication of Crib, the unconventional story of a mother and daughter. And with that, he receives anonymous messages on social media accusing that his story is not his.
 Who owns the intellectual rights to written work, to ideas? The author, the inspiration, or one who has lived it?
 Chapters alternate between Jacob's story and chapters from his book, Crib.
 The Plot starts off slowly, but as we read through both the book's events and Crib, a whole set of reveals opens up to us. 
 Author Jean Hanff Korelitz has crafted a unique and smartly-crafted work and I especially enjoyed a look at the inner workings of the literary world and publishing industry. 
 For those looking for something a little different in a thriller - recommended!
 Released on May 11.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Emotional abuse, and Murder

juliafaye's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship