Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

14 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

maddramaqueen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Confinement, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Grief, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Classism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Outing, Ableism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, and Fatphobia

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

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

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

(another library audiobook rental) 

i definitely would have enjoyed this more if i read a physical copy, but the audiobook was also very good! 

this is a fantastic lesbian classic that really appealed to my historical fiction fan brain. the details of the culture/customs era and setting were really fun and added some levity to the darker plots. 

Sue’s perspective in parts one and the end of part three were hilarious, but the scenes at the asylum were honestly nauseating at times. Maud’s point of view was less funny, more thoughtful and romantic. I loved that she had feelings for Sue before Sue realized her own feelings. 

several of the plot twists were brutal, though i admit i spoiled many of them through impatient googling. the pacing was about right, and the romantic element kept me on my toes the entire time. although i really liked living in each character’s head, some parts did drag on and on, which is why this only gets a 4/5 from me. 

overall, i enjoyed the complexity of how each woman felt about themselves and each other, their clear motivations, their unique histories, and their satisfying, poetic ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Ableism, Child death, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Grief

garibae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Murder

danielforshort's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death

aragorns_nameless_daughter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

10/10 storyline, plot twists, character development, writing style, setting, suspense, drama and unexpected humor

I can't even think of another book where the main character felt so real and relatable, nor one where the story was so entirely unpredictable, it leaves you speechless.

I'd prepared myself for a casual read, the synopsis sounding engaging enough, but what I'm walking out with is a book that's going straight into my favorites.

There were a few very dark chapters in the second half that almost tempted me to go for the 4 star rating, but that wouldn't do my whole reading experience any justice. This is a literary masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Blood

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Violence

jenwool's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

The use of unreliable first-person narrator is masterful. The narration builds the story in a way that draws you in and paints a raw picture of the setting of London, and out in the country where the middle portion takes place. In spite of myself I was strung along for the ride, brought to each emotion that Waters intended me to feel as I went along. In spite of myself and my first impressions of them, I fell in love with both Susan and Maud.

The twists were crafted beautifully, with enough poeticism and foreshadowing that an attentive reader could catch on, but several of them took me by surprise even still.

Spoilers in the Content Warnings but very serious Content Warnings for this book, please take heed.

CW for child abuse, animal abuse, violence against women, the treatment of mental illness in victorian england, casual racism against rromani, and the implication of sexual thoughts about young girls. There is not any actual sexual assault, but it is very creepy. All of these save for the use of g**** referring to rromani are treated as the horrible things they are by the narrative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Racial slurs

lemann's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment