Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Women Talking by Miriam Toews

134 reviews

alyssa2012's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Slavery, Incest, Infidelity, and Self harm

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Fire/Fire injury

chanley_33's review against another edition

reflective slow-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

2.5

I wanted to like it, but I struggled. Didn't hate it, so I did finish it. No quotation marks made it frustrating to read. And I understand why the person keeping a record had to be a man, but in the context (women being the focus) some of his reflections were annoying. And maybe I felt like parts of the book felt like they were going around in circles in the same way I've been in conversations that do that. Some nice ideas and all, but even those felt like it was a philosophy essay hidden in a novel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence

cvanwerven's review

fast-paced

4.0

A fascinating and important analysis of language, courage; community, the suppression of women in certain societies, and the socialization of all people. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

amyrose23's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Suicide, and Pregnancy

singingsfun's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Favorite quote from the book: 
“Leaving would give us the more far superior perspective we need to forgive, which is to love properly and to keep the peace according to our faith. Therefore, our leaving would not be an act of cowardice, abandonment, disobedience, or rebellion. It wouldn’t be because we were excommunicated or exiled. It would be an extreme act of faith.”

This book is heavy, depressing, infuriating, empowering, hopeful, sometimes funny, and full of faith. And I love it!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Rape, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts

kirstinlwx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

maxgold's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I want to note that the characters are not diverse in the sense they are all Mennonite (presumably white or at least all the same race) women. But they’re diverse in the sense of views and personalities. Meaning incredibly diverse in those sense. The author really does an incredible job at showing how not all people in a religious cult are going to think in the same way. Their motives are all similar, yet their drive is very diverse. Their reactions are diverse. It really dirigés the book I think.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

Minor: Transphobia, Suicide, and Death

marigold82's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

It can be a struggle to get through this book, but if you take the title at face value and realize it is about the women talking and not the background story it will help narrow your focus.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Rape

laceystairs's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Wow! This book was not what I was expecting. It is heartbreaking and also somehow hopeful. Exploring the options of a group of women as they come up with possible solutions to a devastating problem which has been affecting their community. The female relationships in this story are the center and the soul of the book, but it is also about how the women relate to the men, children, and outside world around them. I think that everybody should read this book, even though it deals with difficult subject matter. It's important. It's a story that needs to be shared.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Self harm, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Incest