Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

5 reviews

jletra's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Medical content

abbie_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I made a good decision on reading all of Maggie O’Farrell’s backlist! This is my third by her and it’s a gripping dual POV narrative following two women, 50 years apart, figuring out motherhood. I loved Lexie’s storyline, a single woman in the 50s and 60s defying all convention, making a name for herself in journalism, raising a baby as an unmarried, single mother and basically just doing whatever she wants. The second storyline follows Elena, a painter who is struggling to get back to grips with her work after the traumatic birth of her son. Juggling that with her boyfriend who is acting increasingly strange, experiencing flashbacks to a childhood he previously couldn’t remember which knock him for six each time. 

An engaging read which you should check out if you enjoy family secrets and themes of motherhood!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Medical trauma

Minor: Sexual assault

Drowning; the SA a man traps a woman between his body and a work bench, but it is interrupted and she escapes unharmed

linda3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

bexdubyah's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Death of parent

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Minor: Excrement and Miscarriage

cheye13's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

A beautifully written story, with interesting and well-rounded characters. It was entertaining, but I'm wonderinng what the takeaway is. It carries an air of a life lesson, yet I'm not sure what that's supposed to be, let alone if I agree. There's nothing revolutionary about the characters – it doesn't show an unseen side of parenthood or womanhood. It's simply a well-crafted story about interesting people entwined in interesting ways. Not spectacular, but a lovely little read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Excrement, and Infidelity

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Medical content

Minor: Abortion, Miscarriage, and Sexism