Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Signal Fires

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro

27 reviews

rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

_caroline's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

samseyz's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I liked how the themes of family, grief, and trauma were explored through the different characters at various points in their lives, but I know this won’t be a very memorable read in the long run

Content Warnings

katiejohns's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

abbieday's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is a beautiful, painful, and haunting look at how souls are entertained and how we as people exist in the universe with ourselves and one another. The exploration of what happens to us when we keep big secrets is so poignant. My favorite line/reflection: “his gratitude is so wide and deep that it feels, instead, like shame.” I liked Shapiro’s use of shifting narrator’s and timelines to piece together their stories and of course, I cried.

Content Warnings

sarahflanders's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

hannahalane's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Signal Fires is the story of two families living in the same suburban street, whose lives intersect in sometimes surprising ways. It’s a book that spans several decades, albeit in a non-linear fashion, and with much of the action happening off page. As a reader I felt the blurb for this one was misleading. The car accident isn’t really the focus of the story at all. Certainly it had ramifications particularly the impact of secrets and things not spoken about, guilt and regret. However, I was expecting this to be more fleshed out. What really impacted me as a reader was the character of Waldo, his obvious giftedness, his sensitivity, his wonder at the universe, the way his father struggled to connect with him, and the bond he and Dr Wilf forged with each other. Kids like Waldo always grab a piece of my heart. I enjoyed the character studies of the others also. There was a strong philosophical, spiritual element to this book, almost magical realism, and that didn’t work so well for me. It felt heavy handed and not well-integrated with the plot, almost emotionally manipulative. To me it was unnecessary - the details already in the novel were strong enough for the reader reach the desired conclusion, to see the author’s message, on their own accord.

Content Warnings

nickthebookhoarder's review against another edition

2.5

reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

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