Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal

7 reviews

baileyes's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Stalking, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

haley49's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This book! Was! So! Good! 
I read it in a day. I loved all the sweet ensemble characters, the growth of the leads, the pacing, the themes. There were so many valuable themes throughout the story but none felt rushed or overly forced. They felt like a natural exploration of the Punjabi community’s experience in the UK and beyond. I loved how casually muslim they were and how the different characters were different ranges of religious. It felt so realistic. Everyone’s emotions seemed so realistic and the relationships between the women were gold. Obviously bits and pieces were exaggerated but all the women felt authentic to the spirit of “auntie”  culture. 

I really appreciated the discussion on middle aged and older women and their importance to communities. Their emotions, sexuality, education, desires, and even gossip were all valid parts of them; and thus essential elements of their community. It was a sweet lesson that a person’s value does not decrease with age nor does it depend upon status, money, gender, education, birth place, children, romantic relationships (present or not), etc. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Sexism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Car accident, Physical abuse, Racism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Addiction, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Alcohol, and Sexual violence

Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Lesbophobia

jennp28's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Really liked this one! Enjoyable to read about a different culture and also their experiences living in London - and to see how we’re all after the same things in the end. Love, community, friendship, trust. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

Minor: Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry

diana_raquel's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

“Out of all the opportunities Britain offered us, choice was the most important thing.”

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I didn't expect it to be one of my favorite books of 2022. I loved it! It's perfect!!! Totally recommend it!!

The plot and characters are well-developed and well-structured, and the plot twists happen at the right time, making the story truly interesting and entertaining. 

I may have been reticent, especially taking into account the hype, but I totally recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Hate crime

Minor: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Toxic relationship

indiarose8's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

3.75

Overall I enjoyed this book but parts of the plot were a bit unbelievable. The second storyline about Maya felt dropped in. I wish the writer would have just focused on the widows. I wanted to get to know them more. The writing felt a bit clunky at times but the erotic stories were beautifully written. I loved the premise. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

coolbeans995's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I thought this book was a wonderful mix of humor, mystery, and heart. As someone with no knowledge of the London Punjabi community, it felt like an appropriate and insightful look into the culture and challenges. I will return to this book in the future for sure.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide and Murder

molingou_98's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

This was the first semi serious book I had read in a while.  The story was really good and I loved the characters.  It was not a super light hearted book and was actually quite dark at times but it felt hopeful and told a story that I hadn't really read or seen anywhere else. While it was not the best book I've ever read it was enjoyable.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence