Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

9 reviews

jinmichae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? No

4.5

I really loved the writing of this book. It made for a very compelling story, and as soon as I was finished, I put several more of the books by the same author on my "to read" list.

The ups and downs of Eva's life, and the way she interacts with the people in her life, are the main focus. And she's such an interesting character in an interesting setting that it was hard to put down: I was always wanting to see what would happen next, and how the plot would resolve.

It's definitely dark in places: much of the story is set against corruption and political takeovers.

But there's a happy ending, which felt almost impossible with the odds placed against the characters, but I was glad for it. I don't need everything to be cold hard reality, and it was set up enough to feel like a satisfying payoff: even if it only exists because of a sometimes unreliable narrator. It's just a story, so why not let Eva tell it how she wants to?

Also, I adore Mimí. Her success and happiness might have been the best part of the whole book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexism, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Violence, War, Sexual content, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Sexual violence

bessadams's review

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Sexism, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Police brutality, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Self harm, and Transphobia

freddybingsu's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Gun violence, Misogyny, Police brutality, Death of parent, Sexism, and War

Moderate: Suicide, Transphobia, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity

Minor: Torture and Sexual violence

jeslis's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

3.5

Notes:
- First half of the book was really slow for me and didn't hold my attention, but then after halfway I was super immersed.
- It had a kind of rhythmic writing style that made me feel like I was being carried along by a current.
- I was expecting more magical realism because of The Stories of Eva Luna so a bit disappointed there too.
- But other themes I appreciated that I've come to associate with Spanish lit: generational storytelling, writing that merges the present and the past. Also enjoyed the exploration of different loves and past loves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Incest

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Alcohol, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and War

Minor: Islamophobia and Death of parent

r_zoner's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent

lenaricharz's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Violence, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Colonisation, Death, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Dementia

beauvisseau's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring 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? It's complicated

3.25

This story is dense. It spans years and years filled with magical adventures, but combined with a slow pace, it was difficult to get through. The writing is stunning and I loved the diverse cast of characters, the look into differing prespectives and lives. I saved many quotes from Eva Luna, but I would suggest reading something fast-paced alongside it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicide, Transphobia, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Racial slurs, Genocide, and Violence

aadao's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicide

Moderate: Transphobia, Racism, Incest, Gun violence, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual violence