Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

17 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Child abuse, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Racism

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? No

4.25

What keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that I fear the author did not intend what I got out of it 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Miscarriage, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Suicide, Blood, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

issyd23's review against another edition

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

• 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

3.0

Insane last chapter: Gray deconstructs & satirises not just the novel but class, love & objectivity in storytelling/history. Keen to see how the film compares! 3🧠 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Classism, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide, and Terminal illness

bdingz's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The bait-and-switch near the end really threw me through a loop and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content and Gun violence

Minor: Child death, War, and Forced institutionalization

courtneyetate's review

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Sexual violence, and Child death

dyilmaz090's review

dark mysterious medium-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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Child death

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

pigsjillyjiggs's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s supposedly a commentary on the suppression of women and hypocritical expectations etc etc ….but it seems to be mostly a bunch of men who want to be with the mentally innocent yet physically adult woman and be the one to “educate” her

Ok the last 2 hours of Poor Things has completely changed my mind lol did not see it coming. I’ve bumped it up from a 3 star to a 4 star and would actually recommend it for anyone wanting to read a science fiction social commentary about feminism and how much men suck lol

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Sexism

Moderate: Child death

a_violentfemme's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

I can't help but compare this to movie (and of course this why I picked up rhe book in the first place). The format was not what I expected and surprised me. I loved the way Bella's early ways of speaking were written and I loved the pace, it really helps form her character. Her "education", as it transpires in the book is also very interesting from the British empire to women's health, all felt realistic and of the time period it is set. 
However, I was not crazy about the ending- I thought i was going to hate it (but am very glad for the last page). 

Usually I am of the strong opnion that "the book is better than the adaption" but actually the film adds so much to this narrative it's made me enjoy it even more. The costuming for example added so much to Bella's character and overall the vibe of the film is a perfect take on the novel. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, and Child death

claudiatralenuvole's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-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

4.0

Un romanzo che mi ha dato molto su cui riflettere. La sua struttura meta-letteraria si presta a molte interpretazioni ed è la parte più bella provare ad andare oltre ciò che viene raccontato.
Cosa è vero? Ciò che ci viene detto dal narratore inattendibile? O ciò che racconta Bella?
L'autore ci mostra come - nell'Ottocento ma anche oggi - la narrazione delle donne sia fatta dagli uomini. Non importa cosa dicano o facciano, le donne libere nel corpo e nella mente sono streghe o demòni o bambinette ingenue.
E gli uomini, povere creature, credono di sapere tutto su di loro, credono di possederle, ma la verità è che non hanno capito nulla. Questa almeno è la mia interpretazione.
La scrittura di A. Gray è molto scorrevole e abbastanza ritmata. I suoi dialoghi sanno divertire pur facendo riflettere. 
Era la prima volta che prendevo così tanti appunti durante una lettura. E credo sia un libro che a ogni rilettura di comunica qualcosa di nuovo.
La parte finale, poi, cambia totalmente l'idea che ti eri fatto del romanzo e del suo messaggio. Ho apprezzato questa sorta di plot twist (che plot twist forse non è, piuttosto una prospettiva diversa sui fatti).

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content

helenstratton's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think this book has reignited a love of literature I had misplaced for over a decade.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Infidelity

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexual content, Body horror, and Pregnancy

Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, War, Suicide, Classism, and Death of parent