Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

10 reviews

bomenvernietiger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

"In unison, they set about tearing up the plants that had been growing around their house until now, in order to plant others that they'd bought at a shop. It was hard to tell what logic was driving them."

"Deep inside their anthill, the Ants cling to each other in a large ball and sleep like that until spring. I only wish people had the same sort of confidence in each other."

'"Why are you crying?" I asked.
"You're so kind..."
"I know," I replied.
"What about you? Why are you crying?" he said.
That I didn't know.'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, Religious bigotry, Blood, Bullying, Misogyny, and Sexism

Minor: Alcoholism, Ableism, and Addiction

jewelrybonney's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Murder, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Ableism

Minor: Body horror

athenium's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Violence, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming and Body horror

horizonous's review against another edition

mysterious 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

Great sense of place, interesting main character, but I just didn't care about the horoscope passages or William Blake's poetry and to me it was also very obvious where the story is going. However, this won't be my last book by Olga Tokarczuk.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Animal death

Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Vomit

◦ Medical content = Dentistry
◦ Mental illness = Depression
.. and some passages about insects

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Terminal illness, Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Homophobia, Ableism, Medical content, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Vomit

indyemmajones's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and War

inhisbluegardens's review

dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

This was an unusual, unexpected crime story that I really enjoyed!

 Our protagonist is an eccentric lady in her 60s named Janina Duszenko, who lives on her own in the middle of nowhere near the Polish-Czech border. She is odd and hermit-like with a love of astrology and a great reverence for animals. Mrs Duszenko's perspective on the world and her understanding of the story's happenings are really what makes this a worthwhile read. Her complete belief in the logic she draws from the stars and the deep empathy she displays for animals and for people also considered to be on the outskirts of society in some way really puts us on her side, I feel. Her dedication to solving the mystery of four separate murders involving local hunters are the focus of the book, but it almost comes second to her musings on everything from the local mushroom pickers society to the rights of animals and the reasoning behind the names she bestows on others in her head. Mrs Duszenko's unique voice does a stellar job of putting the unsavoury sharply into focus but presenting it in a matter-of-fact way. Indeed, cruelty, loneliness, exploitation and addiction can all be explained by the planetary alignments. The experience of reading this book is deepened by the way Tokarczuk writes about the landscape and the traditions that its people cling to. How we as humans, like all other living things mark the changing seasons. 

Such an interesting read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Gore, Domestic abuse, Death, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Blood

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

laurenleigh's review

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

If I had to pick one word to describe this novel, it’d be “weird.” It’s a kind of weird that, as the first chapter title suggests, makes you pay attention. Why are all these random words capitalized? Where are we? Who is this narrator? Some questions get answered, but plenty do not. It was overall a very unique experience, unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Though it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, I totally understand why it’s won so many awards. The murder mystery plot line seems to be highlighted in many reviews, but I think that part of the story is by far secondary to the heart of the novel. The brilliance of Tokarczuk is in how she meticulously highlights and expands upon the unspoken but important tiny details of life, aging, and nature. She finds these moments or emotions that we all experience and hits the exact right words to describe them, again in a totally singular fashion. My favorite observation of hers was of “Anger.” How it sparks a blaze within that immediately brightens a path and makes everything seem crystal clear, but then when it burns out, you’re left with a cold void which grief or sadness almost inevitably fills. If you’re in the mood for something completely different, pick this up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Blood

Minor: Vomit and Violence

astridrv's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Favourite read of the year so far, but why? The writing really worked for me: it is restrained, composed, philosophical without being preachy, ambiguous without being too ambitious, funny without being too obvious. The tone, rhythm and narrative construction are extremely fine tuned. The cast of characters is entirely believable, and despite how far away from me they are (in every aspect), they felt familiar and present. And the theme! Un régal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, and Murder

emilistevenson's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Alcoholism