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internationalreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape and Incest
erinwolf1997's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Drug use, Medical content, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Self harm, Incest, Rape, Abortion, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
tofutofutofu's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Car accident
Minor: Self harm, Physical abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Incest, and Drug abuse
annreadsabook's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The novel opens by introducing us to 33-year-old Amadeo Padilla, who is set to play Jesus in a local Holy Week procession (the book's title is a reference to the five wounds of Christ during His crucifixion). To Amadeo, this role is a manifestation of his own personal path towards redemption, but when his fifteen-year-old daughter Angel shows up pregnant on his doorstep, his world is turned upside-down. From there, we follow the Padilla family over the course of a year--through a messy, chaotic series of events and poor decision-making that will change and challenge them all.
Valdez Quade crafts a wonderfully vivid and, at times, humorous tale of a family that leans on each other despite all of their individual shortcomings and character flaws; it is a story of love, loss, redemption, forgiveness, and family. This book is filled to the brim with messy characters, family dysfunction, and, through it all, heartwarming nuggets. What makes this novel unique, in my opinion, is the way in which each of the characters is deeply flawed yet still somehow lovable (except for one character in particular…)--that's all Valdez Quade's amazing character building at play, and I am such a fan. I felt that it was just the right length (but honestly, I never wanted it to end), and the characters are portrayed so vividly it felt as though I walking around with them around Las Penas, New Mexico.
If you're someone who loves a good character-driven family drama, I highly recommend The Five Wounds!
Graphic: Pregnancy, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Addiction and Homophobia
sjanke2's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, and Addiction
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pregnancy, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Child abuse
carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, and Self harm