Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

O Grande Círculo by Maggie Shipstead

47 reviews

anapthine's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Gaslighting, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Eating disorder, Blood, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Antisemitism, and Murder

vikkom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This piece of fiction HITS on so many levels once it's finished. Judging by my engagement at the start I was definitely not expecting how many moments throughout that I would read a sentence and just sit there and stare and ponder, or bookmark to write down once I get up after keeping on reading. 

I thought this book was going to be about this random lady Marian Graves attempting a north-south circumnavigation, and the fictional actress Hadley being fascinated and throwing herself into the history of Marian in preparation for the role. The book is about that, but I'd say that it's only about 10% that. 

The rest of the book is about Marian Graves, and the people she loved and loved her, from before birth, to death; it is about Hadley, the starlet, and her journey with the pressures of hollywood, acting, falling in lust, and being... drawn to Marian and also knowing and feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the Marian she is playing is almost entirely reconstructed. 

This book paints the sweeping arc of Marian's life, and the lives of the people that were most important to her. It deals with feeling multiple, contradictory feelings at once; it deals with estrangement from people you love; it deals with loving people and yet hating them; it deals with queer love in the 40s and 50s; it deals with the what-could-have-beens while acknowledging that sequences of events have a certain inevitability and circularity; and overall, it deals with the messy and complex and less-than-idyllic ways that humans connect. Lives are lived, opportunities are lost. People die. We go on.

N.B. one thing I would say though, is that it took me over half of the book (no small feat, it's a solid 300 pages) to actually get *into* the story. I think mainly because I wasn't expecting a grand sweeping whole-of-life tale, but the book comes around in a nice circle, once I realised that was what it was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicide, and Blood

Minor: Child death and Abortion

danajoy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I listened to this as an audiobook while doing a very menial work task and despite the length it felt like it flew. 
Marian is such a strong and determined protagonist but her life really is dominated by struggle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and War

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Child death

nialiversuch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Stalking, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infidelity

sib_reads's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Incest, Infertility, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Excrement, and Pregnancy

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and War

nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, and Abortion

mirireads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Medical content, and Abortion

juli_powers's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

This book primarily follows two story lines - the life of Marion Graves and that or Hadley who is cast as Marion in an indie film on her life. The author focuses on Marion and has an easy to follow quick note to begin each chapter that tells you where you are chronologically. While it occasionally jumps, it's quite easy to tell where and when you are. Marion, her brother Jamie and their friend Caleb have a rough childhood and all take different paths in life. Marion is dead set on flying planes and will do anything she can, including cropping her hair and dressing like a boy to smuggle moonshine for money, to do so. Meanwhile Hadley lost her parents in a plane crash and is similarly raised by her uncle until his untimely death. Hadley is wealthy from her movies and TV shows, but otherwise a mess. She ends up on a mission to discover what really happened with Marion and her plane disappearance. 

The one thing that threw me is that there are so many characters. It can be hard to recall who someone is. The author is quick to provide a back story on someone new and cleverly ties then into the story itself. This book ended and I returned to reread the beginning as it captures Marions thoughts before her final leg of the flight and it was great to reread it. This book was a wild ride that I just didn't want to put down. 

"I thought I would become more than I am, but instead I know I am less than I thought.

No one should ever read this. My life is my one possession.

And yet, and yet, and yet."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Gun violence, Incest, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

nicoleamanfu's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and War

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Misogyny