Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Little Stranger

Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

6 reviews

bex_knighthunterbooks's review

A book that has been on my physical TBR for a long time and not something I'd buy at the moment (long slow-paced historical fiction about rich families is not my thing), but I thought I should give it a go before unhauling. It was taking a really long time to get going and I just wasn't feeling much suspense or any atmospheric horror elements yet - it might be they all really ramp up after the point I stopped but I prefer books that get straight to the point so it didn't bode well for my enjoyment. None of the characters were particularly interesting me, and having read some reviews about an unnecessary romance I didn't think they would grow on me. The writing style was very nice, with a good flow and evocative description, but there was also too much description at the expense of moving the story forward. Also, one thing that did throw me out of the story was that a dog is named with a Romani slur, which was really unnecessary and just felt strange to read (especially as this is a relatively modern book - published 2009). It looks like this isn't one of Sarah Waters best recieved books, and given I got on with her writing style in general, I still might pick up something else by her at some point.

Content Warnings

exhumedprince's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

annaki_laila's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

A gothic novel that forgets it's supposed to be a gothic novel. The first third is promising, the supernatural elements begin to appear and the suspense is there. Then halfway through, the narrator swiftly becomes unlikeable as he initiates a relationship with one of the main characters (with an age gap of over a decade and some generally uncomfortable vibes). The relationship should've been a subplot at most, but it begins to take up far too many pages, and as it continues the narrator just gets more and more selfish and irritating. I began skim-reading some parts at this point because there were so many pages of stuff that was annoying and unrelated to the whole supernatural plot. Having finished the book now, I can safely say that the relationship being romantic was unnecessary. Whatever overarching points about class were being made (which weren't as strong as I thought they'd be based on the blurb anyway) could've been made with the relationship being purely platonic. Anyway!! Rant over, save your time and probably just don't read this book, or read it with lowered expectations, because it really doesn't contain much 'gripping' or 'chilling' content like the blurb describes.

Content Warnings