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Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Der Gott am Ende der Straße by Louise Erdrich

48 reviews

gridner's review against another edition

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

1.0

Wtf did I just read??

What was this story? Part knock off handmaids tale, part mythology, part damsel who stays in distress? If not for a book club I would have DNF’ed this so early on, annoyed that I did spend the time finishing this.
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laestaci's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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dealingwithdragons's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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alyssatuininga's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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lost_library's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective 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

5.0

Raises some really thought-provoking images and questions that stay with you after finishing the book. It’s so well written and chock-full of beautiful symbolism; I feel like I could read it 10 more times and catch more details and parallels every time. Chilling and so good!
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apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.5

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atreegrowsinbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

What a strange dystopian thriller by Erdrich. Very different than the other books I’ve read by her. 

There were so many twists that I didn’t see coming and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t able to guess everything that was happening. The character work and storytelling is so successful, and it’s clear that Erdrich can truly write anything. 

While I really enjoyed the writing, the content of this story was unsettling. Especially when women’s rights have been further taken away. In some aspects, the story isn’t that far off from what could happen. 

I haven’t read A Handmaid’s Tale, but I’ve seen the show and this book is definitely similar to that. This is an indigenous version that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a dystopian thriller with links to the real world as we know it. 

Fun fact, I picked this book up because the first page starts on my birthday 
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kutreen's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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 heartbreakingly beautiful book. My favorite in a long time. This book contained meditations on, and prompted some deep reflections of, the origin and future of life, humanity, family, religion, community, and reproductive rights. I loved the narrator and the premise that she (minor spoiler)
is writing to her future child.
I so appreciated getting to spend some time in her and Erdirch's mind. I appreciate learning a bit more about indigenous communities in the US through her novels as well.
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sparklefarm's review against another edition

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

4.0

WHOOF. Not sure what convinced me, a melancholic woman living in Texas in these times, to read an all-too-believable near-future dystopian novel dealing with reproductive justice, other than the fact that it's written by Louise Erdrich. Ultimately, she once again did. not. miss. with this book. I could have picked a better time to read it though. 😆 That being said, I don't know that I've ever read a book this dystopian and this full of wonder, possibility, and hope. In our current landscape as in a chaotic, terrifying, possible future, we can hold both.

Ending -
I appreciated that we did not end in a happy smiley way (it seemed at some points that it could!) as that would feel disingenuous to the story. And yet to leave Cedar at her most vulnerable, most alone, and least likely to escape, was the most gut-wrenching way to end.
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insanebookperson's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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