Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

128 reviews

carliej's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Murder, Abortion, Pregnancy, Genocide, Violence, and Sexual violence

twitchywitchy314's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

This book was a beautifully gut wrenching read. Stories of what it's like to live as a refugee, to live under siege and occupation and of resistance and of love that endures despite brutal oppression. A must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Islamophobia, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Genocide, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Death and Homophobia

murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? No

4.75

Such a poignant, important story. Abulhawa’s characterisation and style is striking. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence and Rape

Minor: Homophobia

emersoncochran's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Abortion, Confinement, Cancer, and Cursing

Minor: Sexual assault

tsoutham's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is an incredibly sad story of a woman in solitary confinement and yet it was one of the best books I've read in a while. It's believable and shines light on the atrocities being committed by Israelis in Palestine. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Rape, and Violence

crawforl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Abortion, Sexual violence, Sexual content, War, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, Islamophobia, Sexual assault, and Racism

elviraqc's review

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, War, Torture, and Gun violence

sameenj's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, and Violence

aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Abortion

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.25

This is a story that spans years, and yet feels like only a very small part of the overall story. It reads like a memoir, and I honestly had a hard time reading it. It was hard to wrestle with how my opinions and pre-conceived notions occasionally differed from Nahr’s. And it was difficult to witness such human suffering. My brain kept trying to negate the seriousness of the events of this book because they are fictional, so I had to keep reminding myself to Palestinians face this and more at the hands of Israel. It made reading this book a very involved process for me. Which is why I think it is a book that is essential to the canon, and should be read and studied more widely. The characters all felt very complex and flawed, and abulhawa gave them space for that. There were some moments of real beauty and lyricism in the written word. Particularly in depictions of the Palestinian culture and people. From the river to the sea 🇵🇸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Deportation, Grief, Rape, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, War, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, Blood, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Ableism

Minor: Antisemitism, Bullying, Cancer, and Death of parent