Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Holly by Stephen King

78 reviews

eadrianschmitz's review

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

What a horror! Really enjoyed this and love that Jerome and Barbara are still with us for the ride. Holly didn't seem as neurotic as portrayed in the prior three novels which I kinda miss but it shows her growth which I'm pleased with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Body horror, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Suicide, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Outing, Stalking, Violence, Biphobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Addiction, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Confinement, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Dementia, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, Kidnapping, and Lesbophobia

jesshart8's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Grief, Murder, Racism, Cannibalism, and Chronic illness

mccormicke2's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Cannibalism, and Child death

Moderate: Blood, Addiction, Body horror, Violence, Police brutality, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Dementia, Alcoholism, and Mass/school shootings

klosterphobia's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

3.25

Holly is a novel that undeniably offers a fun ride, yet it falls short in several critical aspects. While Holly herself emerges as a likable character, the predictability of the plot and its fanfiction-like quality, coupled with a tinge of self-indulgence, detract from its potential impact. The handling of COVID-19 and the ensuing political upheavals, although attempted, lack the depth and resonance one would expect. Stephen King's exploration of these themes feels heavy-handed and lacks the necessary nuance, especially concerning the experiences of the working class during the pandemic.

As someone who aligns with King's and Holly's liberal perspective, it's disappointing that the novel misses opportunities to delve into the parallels between the killer's obsession with health and the proliferation of dubious COVID cures, a potential avenue for poignant social commentary that remains unexplored.

A notable issue arises in the portrayal of race and violence against Black men throughout the narrative. The treatment of this sensitive topic by an older white male author feels somewhat off, with the racism exhibited by the main antagonists coming across as a caricature rather than a meaningful exploration that adds depth to the narrative.

Despite these shortcomings, King's ability to captivate readers remains powerful. Even when the "whodunnit" aspect is apparent early on, the looming sense of doom as the story progresses keeps the pages turning. However, the fairy tale-like ending feels formulaic and lacks the excitement or novelty. 

Holly entertains but falls short of its potential to engage deeply with complex societal issues and deliver a truly satisfying and thought-provoking narrative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gore, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, Torture, Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Child death, Cancer, Racial slurs, Murder, and Death of parent

matty29's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Dementia, Alcoholism, Racism, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, and Violence

rjohnson0583's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Cursing, and Murder

s1lmaril's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Violence, Racism, and Racial slurs

theraccoonqueen's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I 👏🏻 LOVE 👏🏻 HOLLY 👏🏻

I have loved seeing her development from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy to The Outsider and now. I did not realize If It Bleeds was supposed to be read before Holly, but I wasn’t too horribly lost by not having read it. 

The Harrises were quite frankly some of the most disturbing antagonists that King has written that are just purely human. There’s nothing supernatural about them. They’re just a couple of old people who have more than a few screws loose in their heads. This was like horror and crime/mystery wrapped up into one and I was absolutely here for it. 

I felt that it was a good pace and I love that we got more of Holly’s internal push and pull on why she does what she does. Definitely a great read and I’ll recommend to anyone who enjoys horror and thriller and won’t be butthurt by Holly’s perception of anti-vaxxers.

TW/CW for this book are as follows (I added what I could remember off the top of my head but I did find a comprehensive list online for the rest):
Cannibalism 
Homophobia 
Racism
Abortion 
Cancer
COVID
Sexual harassment 
Rape
School shooting

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Cancer and Rape

Minor: Sexual harassment and Mass/school shootings

muteoflight's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

Read from cover to cover. A classic murder “mystery” with a smart and strong female lead. I have yet to read Mr Mercedes and it’s two sequels so I will be adding those to the list,  because like Stephen, I now love Holly too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Racial slurs, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent

alineh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Torture, Blood, Homophobia, and Racism