Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Woman Destroyed

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir

20 reviews

annaavian's review

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sad slow-paced

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

1.0

This book is severely overrated.

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annablanna's review

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challenging 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

4.0

Smashed through this in a couple of days. The three stories differ in style and content but each make a nuanced comment on marriage, female emotion, and mania. Inherently French and a picture of second-wave feminist writing.

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nicilaui's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

These three short stories about growing old and being abandoned really got to me emotionally. The last one in particular wasn't easy for me. Anyone who can identify with the hopeless situations of abandoned mothers will struggle here. Incredibly written. Only the first story has a heart-warming ending. I have to cope with the rest now. A very important piece of literature for anybody but especially for young people and women.

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jjisntstraight's review against another edition

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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? Yes

5.0

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I couldn't connect with the first story, "The Age of Discretion." It was the soporific ramblings of a boy mom, and the last novella was annoying. The standout for me was definitely "The Monologue." Pure, unadulterated female rage, and maybe it's concerning, but I found myself relating a lot to the MC, Murielle, at least with the misanthropic and nihilistic thoughts, her acidic homophobic and racist diatribes notwithstanding. The writing was chef's kiss, run-on sentences and all. The psychotic stream of consciousness was both chaotic and tragic to follow, but reading Murielle's delusions of grandeur and excessive narcissism wasn't as dreadful as when men do it. I think this manifesto against the world is the one I'll keep coming back to, and maybe I'll even make it a tradition to read it on every new year's day starting next year lol

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zreadz's review

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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m00dreads's review

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challenging 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? Yes

4.25

This was heavy. Female rage and agony ebb and flow throughout the entire collection: it begins with the pensive introspections in The Age of Discretion, surges into the caustic lashings of The Monologue, before culminating into the slow but absolute psychological deterioration in The Woman Destroyed.

Of the three, the first is my favorite and the second would be the least. Not for any reason other than the stylistic, if I’m being honest. It was a struggle to read through The Monologue’s violently amorphous structure—which I know, objectively speaking, is part of the point. The persona’s pain and fury burned like wildfire; it leapt from the pages and spared no one, not even the reader. Depending on personal liking, it can either be a merit or a headache. For me it was both—I understand the literary purpose and think it brilliant, but I also had to pick up a middle-grade fantasy and take a full day’s break just to unscramble my brain after that whirlwind.

The titular story, in my opinion, lacked the sense of satisfaction and closure that the The Age of Discretion had. But then again, also purely a matter of preference. Angry little gremlin that I am wanted blood to be drawn so I was lowkey disappointed when I didn’t get any.

Loved The Age of Discretion from the very first line. Length was perfect and I somehow found myself relating to the persona’s grievances?? (I’m at least 40 years younger; but society to this day hasn’t stopped making women of all ages feel like they’re supposed to be outrunning the clock… I blame late-stage capitalism and all its corollaries).

Individual ratings:
The Age of Discretion: 5⭐
The Monologue: 3.75⭐
The Woman Destroyed: 4⭐

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