333 reviews for:

Butcher

Joyce Carol Oates

3.83 AVERAGE

rgoth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

This book was quite intense, and since it was based on factual documents, it had a significant emotional impact on me. 

The writing is exceptionally well done, and I appreciated how the author utilised various documents to present different points of view. 

However, I felt it was a bit longer than necessary. Overall, though, I enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

margaretotto's review against another edition

4.5

Enjoyed it a lot — this man might take the cake for my least favorite male character ever. In a good way? Also I’ll be glad to go a while without hearing the word “fistula”!

magsamilli's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

As a female reader, parts of this book hit home in a painful way and made me mourn for the females before me who went through anything similar to these female lunatics. Overall a good read with very well written prose in an interesting format that took me a bit to get used to when I first opened the book. 

emiyeee's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

marange's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

3.5

awaywiththefae's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

lfeltman's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0

s_espinoza's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

The book is mainly written as a diary - the diary of butcher M.D. He is the most disgusting character, I have ever read. Nonetheless, the perfect representation of a privileged self-righteous white man. We accompany him through his life, from jung apprentice to director. This journey was a little too slow for me. 
I would have enjoyed the perspective of Brigit more. 

The book is well written and makes you reflect on humanity deeply! 

chelsey_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

claire_elek's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is an exploration of power and gender dynamics, and how mediocre white men were able to establish themselves as pioneers through the exploitation of society's most vulnerable. Butcher contains a lot of body horror, which was in no way gratuitous - it was compelling regardless. The protagonist, Dr Weir is loosely based on three individuals whose experimental procedures were considering groundbreaking at the time, but also grossly unethical, cruel, and inhumane.