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essjay's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
oodles17's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence
huntress's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Cancer, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
tamara_joy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence, Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Blood, and Death of parent
twistykris's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
“On the farm,” she said quietly, “mothers fly away like migrating birds. And fathers die too young. This is why farmers have daughters. To keep things going in the meantime, until it’s our time to grow wings. Go soaring away across the sky.”
There is just something about the way that Kelly Barnhill writes that just consumes me. She has the ability to write bizarre, disturbing, sad subject matters so beautifully. I've read When Women Were Dragons, and this has a very similar feel in regards to the magical realism and the stifling emotions around motherhood and women's transformations to leave it.
I went into this vaguely familiar with the original Japanese tale of "The Crane Wife" and I found this was an interesting, emotional retelling of it from the perspective of an unnamed 15-year old girl trying to protect and take care of her younger brother, while her mother- a weaver- becomes consumed by an abusive, mysterious crane-man. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, and Gun violence
Minor: Bullying
didireadthat's review
- 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? No
4.75
This was a really fast read and very interesting. I loved the writing, it was descriptive but not to the point that the plot was lost in the narrative.
The basic story of the eldest child finding her widowed mother is deep in an abusive relationship and will do anything to protect their younger siblings was a sturdy backdrop for the magical realism in the story. Knowing how the plot would most likely develop made it easier for me to accept the crane in this story and not get so distracted by the impracticality of it and I could really enjoy the fable aspect.
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit and Blood
bessmonet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, Violence, Mental illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Cannibalism and Drug abuse
books4escaping'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Favourite quotes/lines
The more you love someone, the more dangerous to you they become. The more you love someone, the more willing you are to show them your throat.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
gnothiseauton's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol
forthesanityof1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
I was enamored with this book from the title and beautiful cover art alone. It's honestly arresting and I think it connects with the story of The Crane Husband very, very well. This is a story about generational trauma through the lens of a hard-working Midwest farming family fighting for survival. It is based on traditional Japanese folklore (The Crane Wife) looking at themes of love, sacrifice, suffering, and the associated moral cost. Both male and female aspects of this family have engaged in repeating a cycle of abuse and being subjected to poverty at times. The narrator of this novella is 15 year old girl (a strength of Barnhill as a writer) who's mother is an artist in the thrall of a crane.
Compared to the folklore, Barnhill's narrative is as atmospheric as it is disturbing at times. For me, the discomfort was an integral part of the reading experience. To me, the crane is intentionally flat as a character because of the lens of our narrator based on her background and her age. I think this works well within the story and brings in an interesting and human horror element around domestic violence and the people who suffer tangentially related to the main victim of domestic violence. We see how the cycle is going to play out and how the narrator works to subvert and break it. I think success looks very different for people, and the lack of an outright victory and happy ending is perhaps the most heartbreaking but most real aspect of this book. I loved how Barnhill centered the narrator on her upbringing in moments and her descriptors of the crane and things going on around her. Especially at the end, Barnhill was able to really show her characters without laboriously telling us as the readers that X is doing Y.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this. I would definitely recommend it if literary fiction, trauma, resilience, and love are for you.
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, Abandonment, and Animal death