Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

17 reviews

alinarburwitz's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Sexual assault

tinyjude's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.75

I was eagerly waiting the moment I could read this classical rendition of a forgotten and mistreated character such as Antoinetta/Bertha from Jane Eyre, as I loved the original book back then, when I first picked it up. 

In some senses, it does a great job at giving depth both to Bertha's character and background, and Mr. Rochester's feelings about her (which I did not expect to find here), as well as the racial complexities in Jamaica after the end of "legal slave ownership" (we know it was still being enacted nonetheless), colourism, women's autonomy and the treatment of (women's) madness and how these poor women are driven into these unstable mental states by their environments, and mostly their husbands.

But it was also confusing in a lot of instances and felt short when depicting more the nuance of the black characters' feelings towards their previous slave owners. I wish we had focused more on them in general, than the white Creole perspective, but I understand Rhys' background and how that shaped this re-imagining of Bertha's story. Still, I think it should be an essential read after Jane Eyre because it adds more depth to her character and a more complex post-colonial context than the original book did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Misogyny

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Slavery

bisexualwentworth's review

Finally finished. Thoughts to come in upcoming podcast episode.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Racism, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting

thatjds's review

challenging dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

laurenbb23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexual assault

ruffian23's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

c_dmckinney's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is a prequel to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It is an exploration and fleshing out of Rochester's first wife before he changed her name and condemned her to the attic for "madness". 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Abandonment, Grief, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Infidelity, Confinement, Colonisation, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Classism

asmallgremlin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Well…I hate Rochester now

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, and Colonisation

edesia_guest's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

It gives Antoinette, or bertha in jane eyre, a story. it gives information on the ignored character and does it in a beautiful and melancholic way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Racism, Abandonment, Colonisation, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Violence, and Racial slurs

bethsicle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Minor: Blood and Child death