Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride

31 reviews

kthnlb's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Abandonment, Vomit, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Blood

harleyburch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

How would they ever understand my life is more than cider? Complex than that. Fuller deeper richer. Irritation that. Something. Not as good as me in the back of my head.

When I read that this was an experimental novel, I didn't expect it to be quite so jarring. At first, I saw this as a negative; I felt as if the style was drawing me away from the characters rather than into their lives. It wasn't until the end of the novel that the grammar-less stream-of-consciousness style started to speak to me. It was this disjointed use of the language that put me at such unease. Strikingly, this book is bleak - very bleak. Our nameless narrator is subjected to terrible events that become relentless as she slowly but surely tugs us into her head. I had no idea how a book written like this without much plot could end but the ending - while still very bleak - was impressive and memorable. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone (definitely pay attention to the content warnings) but it was a challenged yet insightful experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Violence

frank_patrol's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

it took me 2 months to read this book, i had a reading slump half way through it, but it’s also quite difficult to read, not impossible and like you get the main point of each part but it may take a while to actually realise what’s going on 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Grief, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

hollieadaw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Incest

Moderate: Vomit

bumble_abi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

Difficult in all senses of the word. The stream of consciousness is very immediate but the broken sentences mean you have to invest all your attention to keep up, and investing all your attention makes the whole thing hurt more. Raw and violent and horribly sad, I'm not sure I gained much from sitting beside this particular pain, because too much of it is close enough to my life experiences that it didn't really broaden my mind so much as force me into my own memories. I can see how this might be considered a work of genius, and I think it's a valuable read for anybody who can situate themselves further away from the narrator, but I was left feeling scratched and hollow in a way that felt a little personal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Excrement and Ableism

the book ends with an implied drowning

miles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Ableism and Excrement

amberinbookland's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Bullying, Ableism, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death, Violence, Terminal illness, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Grief, Incest, Cursing, and Blood

alma's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death, and Grief

tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

richthegreat's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Okay, wow. Firstly the book is insanely well written, think stream of consciousness in Irish. It is quite a challenge and I think Eimear is clearly a gifted writer. 
I love stream of consciousness writing, and for me this book did not disappoint, her writing is absolutely stunning, but you have to like that sort of thing. If you can't manage Woolf, or Joyce then don't bother here, as McBride is even more.
That is where my praise ends, this book is pure violence and I would have never read it had I known. There is so much rape, and hate and incest and trauma. The book is trauma, only read it if you are prepared. I have nothing to say that is positive about the plot it is essentially just trauma being passively and actively inflicted on the main character, by herself, others and the catholic church.

For me I can't separate the content from the stunning prose, I found the book so triggering and upsetting that no amount of excellent writing can make up for it. I cannot emphasise enough that you MUST be extremely careful if you undertake to read this book.

Personally if I never read another book about a person getting abused and then engaging in horrendous self hate I will be just fine. I know this stuff happens, and I understand the human capacity to inflict pain on ourselves and others, but I can't read about it anymore, not on this scale. 
I am happy to be challenged on my view of this, I appreciate as a man I may not understand the full authenticity of the lead characters emotions.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Self harm, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, and Incest