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Reviews tagging 'Medical content'
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
16 reviews
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As the main character and narrator of this darkly funny novel, Mrs. Duszejko steals the show. A fierce old woman who lives alone in a house on a remote Polish plateau, she has a big personality as an eccentric astrologer, vegetarian, non-Catholic, and translator of William Blake. She patrols the area surrounding her home daily and has a few, select friends. After her neighbor, “Bigfoot,” is found dead, a series of deaths unfolds, but no one will hear her theories about stags and stars. Ultimately, this is a story of a woman in a significant amount of grief. Beata Poźniak’s narration is exemplary—just perfect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, and Death
Minor: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Medical content
chris_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Grief, Confinement, and Gore
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Vomit
thebechdelbitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. I absolutely loved this book. I was completely taken in by the main character, who I found extremely lovable despite they'know, murder and I found imagery of animals and animal death to be tragically beautiful.
It reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In the Castle (another favourite of mine) in the rituals and idiosyncrasies of its narrators, both of whom believe that outside forces (astrology, magic) will save them. Both narratives never fully decide whether they are right or wrong.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quirky and fun narrator/narrative style, with something extremely dark under the surface.
It reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In the Castle (another favourite of mine) in the rituals and idiosyncrasies of its narrators, both of whom believe that outside forces (astrology, magic) will save them. Both narratives never fully decide whether they are right or wrong.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quirky and fun narrator/narrative style, with something extremely dark under the surface.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Misogyny
Minor: Medical content
noahfence's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
yeah, so. prepare to enter the world of janina duszejko. like, really prepare. its not for the faint of heart.
i have never read anything quite like this book. it is a story that will question your perception of madness, animals, astrology and religion—and you will probably finish it with a very different view of the world.
the plot follows the story of the sickly, elderly woman janina duszejko and her life in a lonely polish village on the border of the czech republic. the book drags you along on her investigation into the strange, unsettling murders of several members of the town’s hunting society, filling you with intrigue, awe—and perhaps horror, depending on your attitude towards animals. do you treat them like they have souls, or not? are you willing to face their wrath?
drive your plow over the bones of the dead is everything i could ever ask for in a book. the weather is strange, the animals are vengeful, the stars are sentient. it is a beautifully dark exploration into feminism, animal rights and murder, and although at first it may just seem like the story of a lonely old women, the prose grips you by the throat and really doesn’t let you go. you will come away from the book wondering if your horoscope could show you how you will die, and if you should really continue eating meat.
drive your plow over the bones of the dead is a deliciously dark read. so go on—take the plunge. 🤭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Sexism, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A great work of literary mystery eco-fiction. I was intimidated by this book at first as it’s won so many prizes but once you get used to the narration and flow it was really easy to read.
I enjoyed the plot, and the main character was written so vividly. Really liked the mystery too, and how it developed.
Also super recommend for vegans and/or people into astrology.
My only complaint is that, while the plot was engrossing, it never really evoked any emotions from me.
I enjoyed the plot, and the main character was written so vividly. Really liked the mystery too, and how it developed.
Also super recommend for vegans and/or people into astrology.
My only complaint is that, while the plot was engrossing, it never really evoked any emotions from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Animal death
Moderate: Mental illness and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Medical content
athenium's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Violence, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Body horror
lilifane's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
SO good!
This is a literary mystery set in a secluded village in the south of Poland. The protagonist is an older woman who is a hobby astrologer and likes animals more than humans. When people in the area turn up dead under mysterious circumstances, she has her own theory of what is going on, but no one is taking her seriously.
I actually wasn't expecting the mystery plot and was pleasantly surprised by the direction the story took. Loved the protagonist and her point of view, so interesting. Loved the quirky side characters and their friendship dynamics. Liked the themes of the book and the writing a lot. Also, the ending worked really well for me. The tone of the book is rather serious and reflective, but it has a subtle humor that I really liked.
The only thing I didn't enjoy were some of the monologues throughout the book. They were too abstract and too long for my taste.
This is a literary mystery set in a secluded village in the south of Poland. The protagonist is an older woman who is a hobby astrologer and likes animals more than humans. When people in the area turn up dead under mysterious circumstances, she has her own theory of what is going on, but no one is taking her seriously.
I actually wasn't expecting the mystery plot and was pleasantly surprised by the direction the story took. Loved the protagonist and her point of view, so interesting. Loved the quirky side characters and their friendship dynamics. Liked the themes of the book and the writing a lot. Also, the ending worked really well for me. The tone of the book is rather serious and reflective, but it has a subtle humor that I really liked.
The only thing I didn't enjoy were some of the monologues throughout the book. They were too abstract and too long for my taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Death
lizzieinmt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This books as extremely well written, even with the translation into English the prose were powerful and full of emotion. While none of the main characters are exactly loveable they win you over and I loved the moral delemma it left you in. As a vegetarian I found this a great look into how some people view animals and how much it hurts not to be valued. Really interesting read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Medical content, Cursing, Addiction, and Emotional abuse
horizonous's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Great sense of place, interesting main character, but I just didn't care about the horoscope passages or William Blake's poetry and to me it was also very obvious where the story is going. However, this won't be my last book by Olga Tokarczuk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Animal death
Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Vomit
◦ Medical content = Dentistry◦ Mental illness = Depression
.. and some passages about insects
nabila99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
there aren't enough audacious, passionate, idiosyncratic, philosophical, and simply unhinged older ladies in literature! it was such a delight being in our protagonist's world, despite the astrological jargon completely flying over my head. what a gorgeously written, poignant, atmospheric, story (def would classify this as a character study rather than a thriller, although it was truly a kick when the final few chapters of the book finally furthered the plot and the unreliable narration!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Grief, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, and Alcohol