Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

41 reviews

fran2567's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Amazingly written, sometimes a bit dark, but worth to keep reading for the incredible plot. Great plottwist and development of women characters. Shows women in the complexity of who they, plays with the ‘saint’ or ‘harlot’ stereotype that tents to be put on women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Outing, Drug use, Sexual content, Self harm, Abandonment, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Lesbophobia, Abortion, Self harm, Blood, Child death, Suicide, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pedophilia

If you have trauma of forced institutionalisation or sexual abuse by a family member, then I would not recommend this book. It does have a happy ending and the main characters reclaim their trauma.

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

ranbara's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-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

5.0

So facking good. What can I say.

It made me giddy. It made me blush, worse than before. It was like liquor. It made me drunk. I drew away. When her breath came now upon my mouth, it came very cold. My mouth was wet, from hers. I said, in a whisper,
'Do you feel it?'

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Murder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Misogyny, Blood, and Sexism

Minor: Child death, Alcoholism, and Racial slurs

marlenealina's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, 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

kelsiepixler's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Sarah Waters is an absolute master of plot twists. My favorite thing about her books, specifically this book, is how the plot twists are unexpected but also really fit the story. Reading this book kept me on the edge of my seat as I was never quite sure what would happen next. At one point the anticipation got the best of me, and I googled the book. Despite "ruining" the ending of the book, I was still hooked because the story just continued to play out in ways I didn't expect even considering the spoilers I had read.  I am eagerly anticipating my next Sarah Waters read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Death, Child abuse, Murder, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual content and Sexual violence

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

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Torture, Violence, Death, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, and Ableism

Moderate: Self harm, Blood, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia

Minor: Child death, Animal death, Eating disorder, Incest, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Racial slurs, and Racism

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The setting and the characters shine in this. It feels very Sweeney Todd, dark and dirty London. The characters are well-rounded, surprising, likeable, and compelling.
I wasn't on board with the perspective change mid-book during reading it but now recognize the complexity it allowed the book to portray.
It really kept me guessing and kept me invested in Sue's and Maud's life. The twists and turns and the character development had me picturing this as a movie in my mind.
It's really giving on so many fronts: there's a queer love story, a betrayal plot, a mystery, mistaken identities, an asylum, a murder.
This is definitely for fans of Frannie Langton and Sally Lockhart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Sexism

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Confinement, Alcohol, Classism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Transphobia

kasermoose's review against another edition

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Murder