Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

El dios de los bosques by Liz Moore

202 reviews

dub828king's review against another edition

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

3.75

An enjoyable and plot heavy book about a missing teenage girl at a summer camp in the woods. Although the characters are fairly one dimensional, the book is intricately plotted with lots of characters, reveals, and hidden details. The book is full of twists and like any book where there are lots of twists and turns, how much you like or dislike certain twists can really impact how you enjoy the book. 

The most engaging parts of the story are the investigation surrounding the disappearance of the girl, but there is lot of plot dedicated to the back story of many of the character 15 years before this book takes place. These sections are more character focused with some investigative plot elements, and do a lot of heavy lifting setting up the major themes of the book, namely what is "Self Reliance," the despicableness of the wealthy, and the virtues of "the poor people." I think that this book maybe fetishizes the poor and downtrodden more than necessary, and the themes of wealth inequality are a little on the nose, making its message a little messy. 

Overall, an engaging mystery read with some heavy handed class inequality messaging that gets to make fun of Emerson. I think this book would ever be interesting to reread due to the large number of small references, connections, and hidden information that is hidden from the reader the first time through. 

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mittan's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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jayne17's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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lexcellent's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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forestmoonmage's review against another edition

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

5.0


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mollison's review against another edition

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

4.5

I thought this was really great. I think most of the mid or bad reviews might be because this book is more literary fiction than mystery/thriller. The point of the book really is not who did it, it’s definitely about the journey and the characters (good news for me, since I struggle with whodunits). I thought the many, many viewpoints were done quite well — I felt connected to many of the characters and thought they grew convincingly throughout the book. The writing is super crisp and clean and that’s what pulled me into this book from page one, more so than the mystery itself. Not perfect, but I think it was really good!

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bookishtokyo's review against another edition

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

4.0


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caseybones's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

There’s a reason so many people have read this book; it’s truly excellent. Liz Moore masterfully weaves past and present together across multiple characters’ viewpoints, revealing the stories of two disappearances bit by bit. Her ability to convincingly tap into the minds and motivations of individuals across a range of ages, backgrounds, and perspectives builds a world at once deeply unfair and poetically just. The added bonus of a satisfying ending with just a hint of the ethereal sealed the deal on this one for me. No notes.

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flowchelle's review against another edition

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

4.0


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jojoana's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-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

3.5


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