Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

7 reviews

hopeadinfinitum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? No

5.0

A difficult book that tears at your heart even as you can’t put it down. This book made me Feel Things with capital letters, angry and sad and hopeful and thoroughly gutted like a fish. There’s a lot of content warnings to take into account and they shouldn’t be taken lightly, but this book is so worth a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal death, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Murder

hoppma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was not an easy read but it is incredibly well done. I feel like Maren and Ursa are going to live with me for a while. I hope they feel safer here than the did in their time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual violence and Racism

This was not an easy read but it is incredibly well done. I feel like Maren and Ursa are going to live with me for a while. I hope they feel safer here than the did in their time.

sarahfr1end's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Chronic illness, Vomit, Infertility, and Pregnancy

lynneliu's review

challenging informative sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Classism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Infidelity

nicnevin's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

This story is capitivating, almost as if by magic. 

That tasteless joke aside, its a beautiful piece showing how minor quibbles can lead to such devestating consequences. 

The relationships and social connections throughout are stitched together with a raw, real intensity. Its beautiful. 

A warning though, it can be intense so just a heads up! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Torture

g_monaghan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Premise: during a fishing trip a storm kills all the men on a small island in Norway leaving the women to fend for themselves, amidst growing religious fanaticism a governor comes to instill order once more.

This book had me on edge the whole time, I knew where the story was going but I didn't realise I would still be so enraged by the events that unfolded. The accusations of witchcraft and the treatment of those accused was harrowing, the brief freedom the women of Vardø experienced when they were forced to fend for themselves in a challenging landscape was eclipsed by the misogynistic and spiteful actions of the governor. 
Perhaps most poignant and heart-wretching is the fact that 
whilst this is a work of fiction the story would be true of the lives of many women or those seen as outcasts that do not fit in or were restricted by the social mores of the time. 

This book also contains commentary on ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender expression. Be warned this book is full of saphic pining.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Torture and Domestic abuse

Minor: Gaslighting and Alcohol

charliebriggs96's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

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

3.5

Nothing really happened for like 240 pages and then suddenly the last 80 pages is when it all happened all at once.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual content, Sexism, Racial slurs, Murder, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Death of parent, and Colonisation