Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

10 reviews

alexalily's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Body shaming, Death, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape, Violence, and Sexual content

reddeddy's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Grief, Violence, Ableism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Torture, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Body horror, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Minor: Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Gore, Infidelity, Police brutality, Cursing, Rape, Slavery, Classism, Confinement, Incest, Xenophobia, and Domestic abuse

nincrony1's review

dark emotional 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

Is this the crowning achievement of the Earthsea series? Quite possibly. Tehanu is at once a mournfully sad yet ultimately hopeful tale about ageing and womanhood (in particular) whilst also being a quiet undermining of the original Earthsea trilogy. The story picks up with Tenar from two books prior and continuing Ged’s story post-The Farthest Shore. Two legendary heroes now older and pass their prime; Tenar a widow and realising societal set gender norms have now made her obsolete and Ged no longer the archmage and powerless. In between them, a scarred burned traumatised girl named Therru where over the course of the book, the three of them find hope again - I love a found family story, after all. It’s a long and very trying road to get there though. This is a much darker novel than the first three, less of the high fantasy adventuring whilst tackling some heady themes and narratives points. For such a short book, it’s dense and impactful. Le Guin’s prose is so direct and beautiful. Almost 20 years of development separates this and her original Earthsea books and the maturity of the writing is apparent. The way she kneads in her philosophy and now focus on being an older woman is perfect. Just based on the first three books alone, she’s one of my favourite authors, but with Tehanu she earns her place as one of the best. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

kfox's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

I just love this book. I honestly don't think I have words in my vocabulary to describe how much. I need to learn more languages to express how much my soul sings with every re-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexism, Body shaming, Stalking, Ableism, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse

ingridaleida's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Abandonment, Misogyny, Sexism, Child abuse, and Body shaming

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Physical abuse

Minor: Death of parent

gwendle_vs_literature's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-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

4.75

Le Guin’s writing in this series is poetic. The style reminds me of Beowulf: the Story is more important than the plot or the characters (although the plot and characters are certainly there). 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Misogyny

Minor: Ableism, Torture, Grief, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape

tenpn's review

challenging emotional hopeful slow-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

5.0

So much more reflective and slow than the other books, but no less fascinating for it. And beautifully written, as always. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content

sovteck's review

reflective medium-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

4.5

Absolutely beautiful continuation of the Earthsea series and I'm very disappointed with myself at how long it took to get around to reading it. Ursula le Guin examines her work from two decades earlier, picks it apart, and makes it about the fierce and bright internal lives of women, and it's perfect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Pedophilia, and Incest

One of the major themes of the book is the main character raising a child who has been badly physically

and it is implied sexually, although never described or addressed in detail

abused by her family of origin.

nerdkitten's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Violence, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Pedophilia, Torture, Alcohol, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Incest, Murder, and Pregnancy

alix_the_book_witch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault