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thehannahclaire's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Adult/minor relationship
themis_biblos's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
1. In the acknowledgements Knoll thanks Kathy Kleiner Rubin, giving the impression that Knoll spoke to her and had her permission to tell this, albeit fictional, story. I've since seen people allegedly close to Kathy saying that that never happened. I'm sceptical - if that's true, Rubin's name surely wouldn't have made it into the acknowledgements? I don't know.
2. I loved, loved, loved the way Knoll discusses what a pathetic man The Defendant in reality was - contrary to how he was and continues to be portrayed, what the women (both those who survived and those who didn't) went through - not just on the night it happened, but after in the news, in the courtroom, in the public. How they were judged, written and gossipped about without their consent or input. However - why then did Knoll choose to write about them yet again, even if in this case the focus was on the women? She could have made it entirely fictional and it still would have hit.
3. A minor detail: It drove me up the wall how Knoll had the characters speak through their body language, but then always explained what gestures meant in italics right after!
But all that said, I was still impressed and moved and sad.
"They just don't want her to get hysterical," I said in the family's defense. Tina scoffed. "And so? What's wrong with being hysterical? It's a hysterical thing that happened."
I'd been asked to go over it so many times already that I was starting to feel like certain aspects of my story were more hindrance than help, that I ought to simplify it. No one tells you that the truest stories are the messy, unwieldy ones, that you will be tempted to trim in the places that make people scratch their heads. It takes fortitude to remain a true and constant witness, and I did.
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Blood, Body horror, Misogyny, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexism, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Medical trauma, Rape, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Stalking, Classism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Drug use
betag1013's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Body horror, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Bullying, Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Outing, Grief, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Dementia, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, and Vomit
threedimen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
jettaparadis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Rape, and Body horror
herperfume's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
twilightfan420's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Homophobia, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Mental illness, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Dementia
anna_giub's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Grief, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
lartiglere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Grief, Blood, Death, and Gore
casandra_lovealwaysbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
To never use the defendant’s name was the best choice. To give names and voices to the women that have consistently been ignored in all of this, an even better one.
Moderate: Sexism, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Minor: Eating disorder