Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini

100 reviews

kefeshe's review

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

4.5

Absolutely stunning writing but it was intense! That's the best way I could describe it, everything this woman experiences is laid out beautifully in all its ugly detail. I've not read many Trini authors, but it's was lovely to read the familiar accent, foods and  places throughout! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Child abuse

Moderate: Death and Gun violence

Minor: Incest

leahb88's review

dark emotional 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

Wow what an amazing book. Reading the Trinidadian Creole took a moment to get used to, but it added so much! Alethea’s story is heartbreaking but I loved reflecting on her past and watching her grow in the present throughout the book. Highly recommend 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism

lolibrary's review

dark inspiring sad medium-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? It's complicated

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Incest

rebekka_m's review against another edition

challenging dark funny fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, and Incest

dallastodd's review

challenging dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

naseerahl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

This is a very unique book. A visceral, hard-hitting book about how abuse in child - to put it lightly - leads to an adulthood of domestic abuse and submittance to men's power over women. Our protagonist, Alethea, is not weak though. She is strong, independent, and the picture of resilience. How do you live a life without abuse if it's all you've ever known? Alethea is powerful in her own right, and the way she is Allen-Agostini will possibly always stay with me. 

I hadn't heard of The Bread the Devil Knead until it was recommended in an email from bookshop.org. I was drawn in by the title - what a title!! - followed by reviews on Goodreads saying what an immersively emotional read this was. It came as no surprise to me to find out this was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. The character and world building is phenomenal.

Told mostly in first person Trinidadian creole, interspersed with flashback chapters written in the third person, Alethea's voice is brought to life and I don't think i'll ever read another voice like hers. She never breaks, despite everything that's happened (happens) to her, and only does she come close as the story develops and horrors from her past become clearer and clearer. Take heed of the trigger warnings - incest, rape, and murder to name but a few. This is not an easy read but, if you can stomach it, you will be rewarded as this is ultimately a story about hope, and what comes next. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

zzara'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is beautiful and horrific, it was both easy to read and one of the hardest things I've ever read. It tells the story of a light-skinned Trinidadian woman who is suffering domestic abuse, and unpacking a life of abuse starting as a small child.

Over the course of the book, she discovers that she is the child of incest, and her uncle who is also her father, also raped her throughout her childhood and impregnated her.

I'm so heartbroken by this story, it's so horrific and yet it didn't strike me as gratuitous in its violence, abuse and atrocity. It served a purpose in telling a story about a woman who struggles through and tried to process and accept such a difficult past. I also loved that the narration of the book was in Trinidadian Creole. I thought it was so rhythmic, so reading this book felt like being underwater and just processing the words. So many of the adjectives that I wasn't familiar with still felt like such perfect descriptors. This book is a hard read, and has graphic descriptions of

physical abuse, child sexual abuse and incest

, but was still well worth the read. I would highly recommend, but only if you're feeling emotionally stable - this book is one giant trigger warning and content wise a very difficult and heavy read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Incest, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Vomit

drapetomaniac's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Gun violence, Rape, Child abuse, Death, and Sexual assault

vnessa_angelina's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.25

Truly a mesmerising story that sucked you right in.

Alethea, a victim of domestic and sexual abuse, is a character you can’t help but root for. Having had to defend herself since young at the same time mothering her baby brother (and everything else in between) only to land an abusive partner, this is a tale of self-reflection, uncovering where you came from, making change for yourself and explored the whole notion of how such relationship is processed by the victim and through the eyes of those around them.

Alethea naturally & consciously try to blend into the background and many points through the book, found buoyancy in gratitude and seeking beauty in life through words and poignant colours in things. I suppose it’s sort of a coping mechanism when you have to go home to not just such home but also a very haunting family history. I thought that was a painful showcase of hope and survival. 

A story well told and everyone wanting insight into the topic should give this a go!

---

Content Warnings

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