Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Blood Meridian, or The Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

39 reviews

selftitled's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Colonisation, Child death, Blood, Animal death, War, Racism, Racial slurs, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Rape, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Gore, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Ableism, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Trafficking

siggney's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Blood, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Physical abuse, and Torture

nyxlexica's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

3.0

Difficult to read. Very slow, very distant, no character to get behind. An intense depiction of a period in history I knew nothing about, though, with an incredible villain. Happy I've read it but can't say I enjoyed the process, exactly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Ableism, Mental illness, Torture, Child death, Racism, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, War, Gun violence, Hate crime, Animal death, Colonisation, Genocide, and Racial slurs

rooree93's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Animal death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Mass/school shootings, Cursing, Torture, Violence, and War

zhaneordo's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

This was the worse DnD campaign to experience, not because the journey, but because of the horrible players. Worse than your local murdering hobos, The Kid falls into a real life larpers group, who take their quest far too seriously. 

A book full of quotes with no quotations, means a lot of rereading. The rereading is worth it in this death filled western. The only good thing that happens to you in this book is when you’re finished and you no longer have to experience it anymore. 

It’s okay, randomly you’ll have a thought about how horrible these people were and hopefully we’ll all use it as our ethical meridian in life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Torture, Gore, War, Stalking, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Death

asuresh's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexism, Sexual violence, Murder, Animal death, Hate crime, Rape, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Sexual harassment, Child death, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and War

ddavare's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia

This is a purely violent book. I did not enjoy this at all. It's supposedly considered a great American novel?? I understand what the author was trying to convey (fate vs. free will, humanity's taste for violence, hipocrisy of Christianity), but this could have been done with at least 70% less violence. Whatever happened to the power of suggestion? JEEZ!!! - I mean the author suggests what happens to the protagonist (I use the word "protagonist" very lightly) at the end and leaves it up to the audience to imagine it. I would not recommend this book (as a person who is not white or a man) as it's triggering in every regard. Unless you are a lit major, writer, or enjoy reading literary challenges (the writing is interesting and challenging), I don't recommend. I think the average reader would not draw out the author's point, and would not be able to see through all this violence. This has not added any value to my knowledge and just created unnecessary stress and disappointment in Western culture (and I'm already disappointed with our political climate). This is a rant. I was set up to read this as part of a group read, and I am not happy about it and am using Storygraph as a way to vent.

taicantfly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"Two years ago we pulled out from Griffin for a last hunt. We ransacked the country. Six weeks. Finally found a herd of eight animals and we killed them and come in. They're gone. Ever one of them that God ever made is gone as if they'd never been at all."

A heartbreaking book about the violence and wretchedness that went into building the American southwest. From the infamous monologue (that which exists without my knowledge...) to the Judge scappling away ancient paintings to the seemingly random genocide of whole tribes and their traditions, this book will desensitize you with its overwhelming and needless violence and cruelty and then it will be swept under the rug as the bones of vultures in the desert.

In the end the Judge asks if there were any witnesses to what had been. If apart from him and the Kid anyone had known or seen Glanton, the Jacksons, Toadvine, Bathcat, Tobin, Tate, Shelby. As he pulls the kid into the outhouse, we now know that all of that is lost to the arrow of time and no matter what, as says the Judge:

"Men's memories are uncertain and the past that was differs from the past that was not."

Judge Holden is the centrepiece around which the violence unfolds, a near-omniscient possibly-immortal god (or at least prophet) of war. Shocking character and completely unimitable.

This was the first McCarthy book I read and I was by no means disappointed. A flawless, soul-crushing and very difficult read which I would not recommend to anyone struggling with misanthropic thoughts.

I will be seeing a 7 foot tall bald albino in my nightmares for the rest of my life.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Blood, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Genocide, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, and Pedophilia

ronophica's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, Ableism, Animal death, Hate crime, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Body horror, Gun violence, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Excrement, Cursing, Violence, and Sexual harassment

helmetgoclank's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Genocide, Violence, War, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Child death, Gun violence, and Physical abuse