Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

10 reviews

zeus_strider's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Death, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Misogyny

Minor: Child death, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Blood, and Abandonment

nicnymh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

It’s a good book in that it was well written, but as a book that is constantly touted as strong queer representation I was disappointed and a little horrified. Readers looking for healthy functional sapphic relationships or storylines should run in the opposite direction. Reads like it was written by a violent man who hates women, especially lesbians. Intense and pervasive sexual harassment of a teen by a family member, grooming and predator behavior. It’s intense, be warned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Mental illness, Classism, Murder, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Slavery

erynlasbelin's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

There aren't enough stars for this book. The writing is gorgeous: the historical elements are well done, the atmosphere is vivid, and the two protagonists have such distinct voices. All the primary characters are complex, realistic, frustrating, sympathetic - even the villains. And the twists! I can't remember the last time a novel kept me on the edge of my seat like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Ableism, Child death, and Sexual content

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, and Homophobia

directorpurry's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Racial slurs

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Child death

kpwxx's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pregnancy, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Dementia, Deportation, Stalking, Abortion, and Eating disorder

gchilton's review against another edition

The plot centers around a character’s causing of emotional and psychological pain by engaging in purposeful manipulation, deceit, and imprisonment of another solely for their personal financial gain. Reading about this was too much for me at this time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

lironore's review against another edition

mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

Sarah Waters est une conteuse hors pair ! Même les longueurs avaient tout leur sens. La tension est intense et on se demande toujours quel rebondissement viendra chambouler l'intrigue. J'ai eu dû mal à arrêter de lire. 
- écrit comme un classique mais avec un talent incroyable pour le conte. La plume est fluide et pleine de sens. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Torture, Sexism, Death, and Blood

honeycrispp's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, and Kidnapping

shaney_swift's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism

birdbrainbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

4.0

This book is so Dickensian, I kept forgetting that it wasn’t written during the 1800s. Sarah Waters is a phenomenal writer—no surprise she’s been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize three times. I enjoyed this one overall! I loved the intrigue, the twists (particularly the first BIG twist), and the organic integration of more authentically representative experiences for queer folk in historical settings. I will say that the book’s structure leads to some parts feeling repetitive and slow, and I think it could have been significantly shorter overall. But I look forward to reading more from Waters!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence