Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

340 reviews

xeniba's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I honestly don’t know why I finished this. It was unnecessarily gory and the only character I liked even a little was Mrs. Green (and Slick, to an extent). It was supposed to take place in the late 80s and early 90s, but the way the characters behaved felt more like the 50s. A woman’s place was in the home, cooking and cleaning for her philandering husband, etc. 

It felt very “white women’s tears” and of course the person who ended up taking charge and doing the dirty work was the one Black character. 

I get that it’s probably supposed to be about the patriarchy and racism and gentrification, but I really don’t need to read about that from a white dude. I definitely will not be reading anymore of his books. 

This was my first fiction audiobook and I did enjoy the narrator, so that’s something.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Death and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization

eden_briar's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was absolutely amazing. Set in the 90’s, a book club made up of five Southern housewives in the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina finds themselves defending their families and homes from a new evil that’s cast itself into every part of their lives. I was NOT expecting some of the things that happened to actually happen and when I did read them I was slightly horrified. Since it does take place in the 90’s, there were a lot of topics and discussions that are still relevant to today, just a lot stronger. PLEASE be very careful reading this book because I was not aware about the potential triggers in this book going into it since I didn’t read reviews, but i still enjoyed it nonetheless thankfully. It was a really emotional story with a rather happy and slightly satisfying ending. Moral of the story: don’t mess with southern women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Gore, Medical trauma, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Racism, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty

lord_trashcan's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

5.0

I read a lot of dark/thrillers but… dear god, I have never read anything that was so viscerally uncomfortable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Rape

brinotbrie's review

Racist and boring, glad I only spent $1 on it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Racism

wheelyautistic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I actually really enjoyed this book. The amount of times I had to put the book down because of how tense it showed just how good the writing is. 

I'm afraid I have to disagree with most of the negative reviews regarding the 3-year skip, where the main character is complacent. Many reviewers viewed it us difficult and unrealistic or annoying however they fail to realise that this book whilst it does have a vampire and the supernatural elements is far more about a serial killer and a murderer then a high energy vampire slashing book.  It feels realistic that no one would believe her or that she would become complacent and subdued because in reality any outburst could land her straight into an institute given the timing. The race aspects were necessary to indicate and portray a very real and common thing seen in real-life killers: that those deemed as less than are usually the ones killed and often their murders are overlooked. I think this book perfectly paralleled the real lids true crime books the characters read with a hind of supernatural influence to increase the severity and difficulty of the situation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Stalking, Gore, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexism, Mental illness, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Animal death, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Death, Child death, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Cannibalism

Minor: Racism

gabsoto20's review against another edition

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

1.5

I know that gaslighting and sexism was a large point of the storyline but dear god. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Gaslighting, Racism, Gore, and Mental illness

erhocking's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book made me feel a lot of emotions. There were times when I was just so pissed at characters that I couldn’t keep reading, but the end was so satisfying. The book truly shows how patriarchy and misogyny hurts all involved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Body horror, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Blood

su_uro's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, Body horror, Gore, Child death, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

brysonsmommie84's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-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

1.0

I was so excited to read this. I’ve built it up for a year and I finally got to it. That was a mistake… Maybe I will update this later and make it more coherent, but for now I have wasted enough hours of my life finishing this book. Yes, finishing, all of it. Why? Because I stupidly thought it has to get better. 
I just feel sick. This book makes me so angry…

Husbands telling wives:
“The girls have something to say” 
“shake hands like a fucking adult” 
being forced to apologize… these are your wives… educated wives… the children are also treated like this. Carter is the worst character of all time! Worse than the “vampire”. 

Patricia is concerned about child molestation and you are all fucking protecting the stranger, because he has money and penis. Fuck these characters. Fuck this book. Fuck this author. They better all be under a fucking spell. 

BTW child molestation big trigger! Lots of child rape… by an old dirty “vampire”. Too detailed. Children dying/suicides. Kids killing dogs, because they have been “left under a spell”. More Rape, burning people alive… At least the racism and “classism” were finally called out, I guess… 

I will never give this author another try. The other authors that take flak for the misogyny and patriarchy in their books is bullshit in comparison and this author is being praised for this book. Fuck that shit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Blood, Suicide, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Rape, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

webberinr's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Animal death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Rape