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Reviews tagging 'War'
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor, Janina Matthewson
37 reviews
dryriver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Dr. Mariam Gregory was born into the collapse of society during the early 1900s, leading to her immediate family's death and hyperindependence. She eventually learned a method of meditation, called the "watercolor quiet" which she further developed as a quasi-psychologist. This is occasionally interrupted by the "editors" of her memoir, who claim it is riddled with inaccuracies. This book's framing makes it feel dark and questionable, especially as Mariam discovers what has been done with her work.
While I like the realistic feel of Mariam's recollection, this also makes the storyline feel piecey at times and muddles any clear themes. I wish that the authors pursued some of the large concepts more independently rather than frequently switching the moral focus. I love that they created such intense moral conflicts, but many of these areas felt underdeveloped. Again, maybe this is the result of having a believable personal narrative, but I was left wishing for a bit more.
Overall I think this is an intriguing novel for those who love post-apocalyptic and morally questionable themes.
Graphic: Death and War
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Abandonment
standardgoose's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Torture
Minor: Gore
cubbykay's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma and War
Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, and Death of parent
catalyst226's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Medical trauma, and War
Moderate: Child death and Pregnancy
Minor: Gun violence
seaweed's review against another edition
If you have not familiar with the podcast Within The Wires, there is a chance you could enjoy it, since everything will be new information to you.
If you are a fan of the podcast, don't waste your time. I can guarantee that whatever you imagined about its world will be ten times more interesting than what the team chose to commit to. It feels as if the authors had a couple of ideas (already implemented inside the podcast) and thought to themselves: hm, can we squeeze a book out of this without bringing anything new or original to the table? - and then proceeded to do exactly that. There is one function it could serve - as a timeline, and a subpar one at that, since this fictional memoir barely uses dates.
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
aileron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Torture, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty and Gun violence
inkdrunkalex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I listened to the audiobook of this, and honestly I wish I could hear it for the first time again. I found it by using shuffle mode on Libby and had absolutely NO idea what it was about upon starting. I'm so glad I did though.
Unlike most dystopian novels, this one is not during the unquestioning after a society has been set up but instead in the before and during (mostly). We are allowed a front row seat to how this alternate timeline ended up where they did, with glimpses of how people are propagandized throughout.
A mid paced story with a haunting LGBTQ+ romance, this book was close to perfect.
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and War
Pandemic mentioned, psychological reprogramming, and psychological torture mentionedkit_icarus8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War
aimnorth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and War
librarymouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer