Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

7 reviews

j_mindelan's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcohol, Excrement, Grief, Incest, Blood, Body shaming, Police brutality, Pregnancy, War, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Slavery, Torture, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Abortion, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Rape, Religious bigotry, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Classism, and Pedophilia

josefineisreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative 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

4.75

A very good read I think. I didn’t necessarily enjoy it but it was interesting enough that I was able to continue reading without getting bored or wanting to give up. My favourite chapter was definitely the epilogue. 

Through this book you learn so much about the political landscape of Chile through the escapades of the characters through the generations. The horrors of the military junta are more towards the end of the book and seen through the eyes of an upper class family but nonetheless horrifying. I did enjoy learning the history through the Trueba family and all the others surrounding the household. I did think there was going to be more magical realism but maybe I’ve not read enough to solidify my understanding of the genre. 

My final thoughts are that I would recommend it but I don’t think I would reread it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, War, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Medical content, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Abortion, Addiction, Car accident, Classism, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, Rape, Torture, Blood, and Gun violence

Moderate: Pedophilia, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, Incest, Animal death, Racism, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Excrement, Alcohol, and Cursing

Minor: Homophobia

ryann_400's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This is MUST READ, no book has challenged my concept of time, family and politics like this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Blood, War, Violence, Rape, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Gun violence, Incest, Blood, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Read for school

This was just a strange, flavorful, and at times horrifying read that I wasn't expecting at all.  The characters are all so interesting in their own way and the generational saga worked extremely well for me. It was funny, it was sad, it was horrifying, and it was super weird and it's definitely a book I'll be thinking about a lot more in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Religious bigotry

menomica's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

Aunque es un libro muy largo y muy denso, a mí me ha gustado el linaje familiar y como los eventos y sucesos tienen se influencian entre sí. Está lleno de trigger warnings, pero si lo puedes aguantar, y si tienes mucho tiempo que perder, y eres fan del drama y historias largas y enrevesadas, te recomiendo este libro (no lo digo como insulto: como ya he dicho, me ha gustado el libro bastante).

PS: El peor personaje de todo este libro es sin duda, Esteban Trueba. La mejor fue Clara Del Valle

y ADIVINAD QUIÉN MUERE PRIMERO

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Abortion, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Car accident, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Stalking, Vomit, and Ableism

rieviolet's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I cannot say bad things about Isabel Allende's writing style but I had to trudge a bit to get through the book. Personally, it was hard for me to feel much connected to the characters and also to digest some of the crudest passages. 

I have to say that it's been a long time since I've despised a character as much as Esteban Trueba and I cannot emphasise enough how much I disliked the sections with him as a narrator. I listened to the audiobook and I think that I managed to finish the book only because I really liked the voice actress, otherwise I would have given up after the umpteenth of his capitalist rants or descriptions of his male prowess and insatiable desires, they made me want to scream.

I liked much better the final chapters that focused more on the social and political commentary and also the  epilogue with Alba as narrator (honestly I would have preferred her as the main point of view).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Antisemitism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Suicide

coinmanatee's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

Read for Class.  I actually skipped ahead. I didn't have time nor the patience nor the will to read most of the middle section. Maybe that's where it gets good? But I doubt it. 

I liked this book right up until the moment Esteban Trueba opened his mouth. It's very very difficult to like a book that makes a rapist it's hero. A rapist, conservative, abusive, asshole of a man who never learns his lesson and dies without ever once realising that his actions are the reason that the rest of his family suffers such horrendous atrocities. 

In any other book this man would have been the villain, and the point would have been to get away from him. In this book another man is introduced who is even more monstrous. 

It's also just, really horrifically violently sexual in a lot of other ways that I got sick of very quickly. It's hard to like books that are sexual like that when you're Ace. 

The one shining character in this book is Clara. I liked reading about her. 

Unfortunately she was surrounded by idiots who treated her as a child,  or an object, which did ruin her a bit. If you have a woman in your family who regularly performs magic, and makes prophecies, why aren't you listening to her every word? Idiots. There were tons of things that could have been prevented or at least the danger of lessened if anyone had thought "hey, maybe the earthquake the medium is predicting IS going to be horrific. We should take precautions!"

Ugh. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Grief, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Death

Classism