Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

North Woods by Daniel Mason

9 reviews

mmcloe's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

A novel that definitely had its good moments! Some of the prose was excellent; there were sections of skilled storytelling; the polyphonic and hypertextual structure is always a fun time. We love an exploration of place. 

Many problems, unfortunately:

• The entire framing was dreadfully narrow - a pity for a novel with such expansive aims. How can you possibly explore the history of human relationships to history and land while starting that history with white Puritans and only proceeding with white people from there? Why do plants and wampus cats and beetles get more humanity than Indigenous people or Black people? Where's the chapter about the enslaved woman seeking refuge in the house? 
• The hypertextual structure didn't always land how it should've, largely a result of undercommitment to the bit. All of the different texts were typeset identically and largely in the same stylistic voice. All of them were neatly separated from one another, even with some gente referencing. The pictures and diagrams were completely contextless; no captions, titles, provenance, anything. (This might be an unfair jab) you can tell a natural scientist wrote this and not a historian or other kind of humanist - there's a disinterest in texts as objects that's disappointing. 

I would recommend something like Lote, Savage Theories, or The Rabbit Hutch for novels doing what Mason is trying here a bit more successfully. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Gore, Slavery, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sjabw13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Beautifully written! Fascinating plot. Favorite book of the year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

faithemt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

best book i've read all year. 

Full review is here: 
https://goldintheclouds-faith.blogspot.com/2024/11/2024-book-review-48north-woods.html

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

angorarabbit's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

North Woods tells the story of a place through a few centuries in a 3rd person omniscient narration. The humans are flashes on the years, the real character is the place. Mr Mason tells this story beautifully in loving detail. My only complaint is that the “historical pieces” especially the songs do not quite ring true to the time they are supposedly written in. But that is a small quibble. This is a wonderful book that reminded me that life is fleeting for humans and even trees, but the place remains even as it becomes unrecognisable to those who lived on it centuries ago.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Suicide and Alcohol

There is discussion regarding lobotomies.

cryptofauna's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

1.5

what was even the point of this book. 
badly paced, no cohesive plot line or honestly any plot to begin with. had a few interesting moments in a couple of the short stories but it jumps around far too much to actually get properly aquatinted with some of the characters. (like i loved mary and alice because they were the most robust and had more time than anyone else to flesh out and have a compelling story i feel like)
i really don’t mind a book in this sort of format (one of my fav books of all time greenwoods is like this) but i feel like this did not do the multigenerational independent yet slightly connected stories well at all. 
honestly should have dnfed it but i was really hoping it would get better or have some kind of ending that tied it all up. it felt like there was supposed to be come deep meaning that i clearly missed
had high hopes for this one and i don’t understand why everyone else in these reviews is obsessed with it

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence

himpersonal's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This is one of the most interesting storytelling formats I’ve ever read. It was done effectively. It’s almost like a bunch of short stories connected through time with the setting while characters from the past weaved throughout to provide continuity. It was enjoyable to read and to contemplate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

chloesnotscared's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Colonisation

atiek's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I give this book beyond a five point oh. It'll break your heart and allow you to see justice in the same breath. It'll build you back up once broken down. All of the characters's voices are palpable and I strongly recommend listening to North Woods on audio for the best experience. I will be buying a physical copy of this book some day, it is that freaking great.    

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Slavery and Suicide

Minor: War

thingslongpast's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Rapturous, moving and eternal.

An incredible book. It is a true epic of life, death, nature, history, succession and reclamation. Told in many voices and styles, we follow hundreds of years of history revolving around a house deep in the woods of Massachusetts. This book haunts its reader with the voices of the past, rallies the timeless human and non-human experiences that are held in a perpetual clandestine shroud between walls, branches and soil. It is sweeping and vibrant and rich in longing and grief and nature. A truly fascinating literary joy and stellar achievement by Daniel Mason.

Thank you to John Murray Press/Hachette for the advanced reader copy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Blood, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Slavery, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol