Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Dept. of Speculation

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

9 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

3.5

A quick and gripping read that explores the realities of marriage and motherhood. There are some very beautiful lines in here. Stream-of-consciousness writing that is made up of tweet-like paragraphs definitely isn’t for everyone but I’ve realised that I really enjoy books written in this style.

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americattt's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

“I decide to make my class read creation myths. The idea is to go back to the beginning. In some, God is portrayed as father, in others, as a mother. When God is a father, he is said to be elsewhere. When God is a mother, she is said to be everywhere.”

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aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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kairhone's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

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theliteraryhooker's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book. It's technically very well written and I felt engaged with the plot. The stream of consciousness prose was very well done. However it felt very detached from its characters, especially once we switch from first- to third-person, which made it difficult for me to feel truly connected to the character and her emotions. Definitely an intriguing little novel and there were moments where I felt emotionally invested, but this wasn't the case for most of the novel.

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