Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

23 reviews

fpcat99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-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? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Vomit

amsswim's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I think this is going in not only 5 star category, but favorites and best books I've read categories. Not only was the story good, but the writing kept me engaged and seeking more the whole time. This author had such beautiful and realistic ways of making these characters come to life, as well as tie in real world implications and reflections. 

You follow 4 daughters, their Mother, and Baptist Pastor Father deep into the Congo on their Fathers' mission to convert the people living there to Western Christianity. While the family goes through culture shock regarding that and their new realities, the country is self is trying to shed itself of Belgian colonialism. Despite it taking place in the 1960s, the story and the real world events occuring now still echo the exact same. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a more modern classic. 

My favorite quote: "I found ... I had now wings ... I had lost my wings. Don't ask me how I gained them back, the story is too unbearable. I believed too long in false reassurances; believing as we all want to, when men speak of the national interests that it is also ours. In the end, my lot was cast with The Congo. Poor Congo; barefoot bride of men who took her jewels and promised the kingdom"

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Racism, Misogyny, Animal death, Colonisation, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Genocide, and Medical content

sskinner155's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.5

A reflective story about an American family on a missionary trip to Congo during the 1950 and there time their.
  I liked the structure of this story and found each character pov interesting and distinct and the setting being the Congo before, during and after early independence to be intriguing. How each character reacted to not just their own family trauma and the guilt or lack there of for their country’s involvement in the downfall of Congolese independence. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Domestic abuse, Child death, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Animal death

lovosii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I have read this book about 3 times now at different stages of my life and have come out of each reading with a new appreciation of this book. Highly recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Emotional abuse, Classism, Colonisation, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Addiction, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry

navayiota's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Complex, enchanting, heartbreaking. 
I frequently felt too dumb to truly a preciate this book. A masterclass in writing strong, unique characters realistically, characters who will stick with you as you move on from this book. And in my experience, a step by step guide to comprehend your complicity in the world's tragedies, and a game plan to process, move on, and do something about it. Reading this book made me truly see the forest for the first time in my life. I have yet to understand the extent of what I've learned. I look forward to finding out. 
It also pains me to imagine the kind of grief author experienced to understand grief this well, and to be able to put it to words so efficiently. It pains me more to know that there are people in this world who have experienced suffering double, triple, quadruple the size of this and had nobody to write their story down. At the end of the day, I know how good my life is. 
If I could only keep one piece of knowledge from this book, it would be that now, I have the choice to not take my life for granted anymore. I will always be grateful for that. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Medical content, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Ableism, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Cancer

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Child death, Gore, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Vomit, Cursing, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury

bingled's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Classism, Ableism, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, and Mental illness

zoebaillie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Animal death, Child death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Ableism, and Death of parent

Minor: War and Torture

Mention of child prostitution, imprisonment

elizapease's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-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

5.0

Really a masterpiece. This book transfixed me from beginning to end. I felt the entire time as though I was in the Congo with the Price family, enduring their fathers abuse, their mothers neglect, and sisterly in-fighting. Kingsolver’s use of prose is phenomenal. Each character is rich and dynamic. They feel SO real. Kingsolver masterfully develops the Price family throughout the novel, creating an epic that spans decades, continents, and planes of existence.

 I was especially impressed by how ahead of its time this book was - considering it was written in the 80’s, it’s commentary on capitalism, nationalism, communism, and the treatment of Africa by the United States is quite searing and insightful. Kingsolver writes with such incredible empathy about people from all walks of life. 

Be warned: this is not an easy read, in content or difficulty. But it is so so worth it.  Breathtaking. This book will stick with me forever. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Death

caseyf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, War, Death, Racism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Sexism, Colonisation, and Misogyny