Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Der Gott am Ende der Straße by Louise Erdrich

23 reviews

20sidedbi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • 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

4.5

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kandisebrown's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated
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avmey's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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sephypear's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-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? Yes

3.75

When reading this book, I would be absolutely engrossed until something pulled me away; and then I'd be hesitant to pick it back up.
This story was engrossing, the atmosphere was tense and palpable.
Do I recommend? Yes. Will I read again? I'm not sure I can put myself through it again.
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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I liked that this centered Native/Indigenous women/people and that it took place in Minnesota (so I knew the places that were mentioned). I also liked how this was about women's bodily autonomy and society's weird obsession over caring more about the unborn then the ones currently living.
Not my favorite book but I would be willing to read more from the author.
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rachaelwho's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

4.75

Narration by the author is great.
I think the people who didn't like this book wanted it to be spookier and more sci-fi. This is a book about motherhood, womanhood, pregnancy, autonomy, family, ancestry, and what we owe each other. Authoritarianism and institutionalization, too. It is also about climate and catastrophe, near-future dystopia. The sci-fi conceit isn't superfluous, but this isn't quite "genre fiction" and if you wanted to get into that, I guess you probably wouldn't love this one. Reviews hung up on the "science" of the setting not making sense are... Really stunningly, jaw-droppingly missing the forest.
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scatteringashes's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

I have a complicated relationship with this book. I was sucked into it, and found the setting and plot really compelling. It is so my jam: a speculative fiction, society-falling-apart book that features motherhood and spirituality at it's center? But it just sort of. Ends. There are about a hundred questions left unanswered, but not necessarily in a way that I liked. 

On one hand, that's life and all. Most of what takes us to that ending was satisfying and interesting, so I don't regret the time spent with the book. On the other hand, I think it was a fundamental mismatch of reader to story -- the speculative elements that I wanted to dig my hands into weren't necessarily important to the key components of the story. 
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drenvirobook's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book offers an indigenous perspective on the feminist body-horror dystopian theocracy. An opaque plague besieges newborn babies, offering an opportunity for a conservative religious power grab.  Erdrich explores this novel through the lens of Cedar, an indigenous woman who is pregnant. The plague coincides with Cedar’s pregnancy and her push to connect to her birth family after being raised by white parents. The plot alone would be enough for me to have loved this, but it was enhanced by the complex characters and their relationships.
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kalayk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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boredacademic's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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