Incredibly depressing
588055
It's hard to know what rating to give this book. Picture a post-nuclear burned earth, with only a few people, and most of them cannibalizing the others. Write about it with poetic beauty, and have it end tragically. The English teacher in me loved the beautiful word choices, but I never did get used to the prolific use of sentence fragments.

I'm not sorry I read it, but I couldn't really recommend it, either.
3754292
Well written but depressing as hell.  This almost made me weep with despair.  I will not keep this book though
4320929
The entire book is gruesome and depressing. I must admit though, I'm reading the second book cuz I really want something good to happen with these characters. Half way through book two and it's still a sad read every night.
4434603
WHAT HORRIBLY DEPRESSING BOOK !! HOPELESNESS, CORRUPTION,  FILTH, POVERTY.  ONE BAD SITUATION LED TO ONE EVEN WORSE.  AND THEN TO LEARN AT THE END THAT IT IS ALL TRUE.  HOW DID THE AUTHOR STAND IT?  AND THEN TO SAY THAT INDIA IS HER ADOPTED COUNTRY.......  WHY NOT SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THE GOVERNMENT IS SUCCESSFULLY DOING TO COMBAT THESE CONDITIONS.  OR DOES SHE HOPE THAT WE AMERICANS  'ADOPT' THIS COUNTRY , TOO, AND HELP THEM, AT THE TAXPAYERS' EXPENSE?

DON'T GET ME WRONG, I'M SORRY FOR THEM, AND AS A CHRISTIAN, I PRAY FOR THEM.  BUT IT'S OVERWHELMINGLY
AWFUL.
537463
It is so dark, depressing, and disturbing. And the part of making video art is unnecessarily pornographic. I guess the author is trying to expose the issues of mental illness and abuses, but didn't leave anything meaningful to the readers except a dark twisted void.
4793169
First let me say I am a fan of Ms. Harris.

With that out of the way, this book was bleak and sad and misery-laden. There was no up and down flow, no lighter moments, just one grief after another. The end was *dreadful* and unnecessary.

I understand sometimes characters have to die, but Ms. Harris choice of sacrafice was lousy. It was overly painful.  As others have said, I will probably never read another book in this series.
4286833
What a depressing, wordy bore. Understanding and sympathy for any of the characters in this book is impossible.  They are all lacking substance, and the story jumps around, leaving you dizzy and confused. Also, there is no ending. The story was left uncomfortably unresolved.
4444979
This was by far the worst and most depressing book I ever had the displeasure of being assigned to read in school. I loved to read but this was just terrible.
1001109
I've marked this book down because it's depressing.  I think people read Regency romances for escapism, yet here we have a young woman from an earlier book in the series dead, another couple we thought were living happily ever after have been miserable, many animals slaughtered in terrible pain, we aren't even told the fate of some horses who may or may not have escaped from a fire, cruelty to animals condoned  as being masculine, and a primary character horribly burned.

The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one (the lowest rating) was that the characters were well drawn and the writing was good.

I agree with another reviewer that the book seemed to be missing an ending.  It just stops short and we don't learn what happens to the primary villain. I wonder if there was actually an error when it was kindleized and not all of it got transferred.
4275025
I found this story utterly depressing. It is set in the Chicago of the early twentieth century, in the Irish ghetto where very few of the characters have any redeeming qualities at all. As well as the main storyline about a serial killer of little girls, there is organised crime and abusive and drunken husbands and fathers. The description of the famed Chicago stockyards are enough to turn anyone vegetarian, they are so brutal  unnecessarily so I felt. In going for historical authenticity, Tess Devlin has created a thoroughly unpleasant reading experience
2438621
While accompanying someone on the journey towards death is always interesting, this story leaves the reader feeling utterly depressed rather than comforted or hopeful. I can relate to some of the other reviewers who said they couldn't even finish the book due to its rather awful first half. Tessa is a nasty, negative, sulky person. A terminal diagnosis is not an excuse to be an absolute wench to the whole world, and especially to the people closest to you. Her "bucket list" is utterly ridiculous, with things like lose her virginity, do drugs, commit crimes... who came up with such nonsense? Sadly, the entire book is thick with the godless atheistic vibe of the UK. Girls dress like prostitutes on a daily basis, everyone smokes pot or drinks underage, everyone's having sex. And yes, the sex scenes were utterly laughable, as the awkward, sickly girl turns into a confident, immodest porn star at the first touch of her boyfriend's hand; a big "yeah, right". And let's not forget the idyllic and completely unrealistic romance; every teen boy I know turns into a poetic Romeo around girls dying of cancer. She acts like a bitch? He just smiles. She's skin and bones and can't get out of bed? He still gets an erection and is moved to sonnet-like speeches at the sight of her. Right. Not.

The story was more appealing as Tessa got closer to death and her belligerent ego finally started to realize a bit of humility, and she began to show a little gratitude and caring towards her family. And of course, we had to continue the uber-depressing atheistic theme right to the end, no talk of God, faith, Heaven, an afterlife, prayer, nothing. Tessa just drifts further and further into hallucinations and "nothingness". And that's it. You're sort of waiting for some sort of hopeful note at the end, some sort of uplifting bit to close the tale, and there's just... none.

The best adjective I can give this story is "interesting". It wasn't good. It wasn't prose. It wasn't memorable. And it certainly wasn't uplifting in any way.
3703341
This book was very depressing.  It was spoiled by the author's obsession with death and his fear of growing old, something he rambles on about in every other chapter.  It must suck to live in Sweden. The overwhelmingly depressing tone ruins what otherwise might have been a fascinating story.  It is ultimately unsatisfying as well, because many questions go unanswered.  Also, there is no secondary or sub-plot.  When his gun goes missing it turns out he really did forget it because he was becoming senile. How much more exciting if someone had broken in and stolen it in an attempt to embarrass him?  What a very sad and disappointing end to the series.
4764560
Warning  this book is very depressing and unsettling. I wish I had read the one star reviews before I read the book. I kept reading it because I was waiting for it to get interesting; that never happened. There are books that can show the darker side of life, but its OK if there is a purpose to the story, or it leads to a better understanding of human nature or has some redeeming quality. This book wasn't one of them. I don't know what the purpose of this book was and Im not sure there was even a plot. It wasn't chilling; it wasn't haunting; it was only depressing and miserable. I'm sorry I read it.
1027545
This book started off with promise. Around half way through, however, it became almost comical in how depressing it is. I could guess every thing that was coming next. The most tragic events in one family over years with no ups to balance them or no hope to glean from them. I really have to agree with the previous reviewer who also gave this book 2 stars.
1139859
Only read this book if you want to be depressed and feel hopeless.  I threw this book in the garbage after I read it so that no other unsuspecting person would read it.  Tada's writing is usually uplifting, so I find it hard to believe that her editors allowed her to write such a downer of a book.  If you are going through difficult times and want to read something uplifting, read The Gift of Peace by Cardinal Bernadin.  You will feel better immediately.
873608
Very depressing. I read fifty-five pages and had to put it down cause I was starting to cry. Maybe there is something uplifting in it however, the beginning makes me not want to turn another page.
 I got it as a gift at my party. I will not pass it on to a friend when he or she reaches the age. I wish I could return it.
550209
Descriptive,depressing and no socially redeeming message.