Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

9 reviews

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Drug use, Car accident, Bullying, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Ableism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Medical content, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Cancer, Sexism, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship

narbine's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Torture, Sexual violence, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Vomit, and Misogyny

Moderate: Stalking, Ableism, Gaslighting, Abortion, Abandonment, Cancer, and Religious bigotry

amymarchlawrence's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Cursing, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Suicide, Chronic illness, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

jzmnz's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

2.0

Over hyped. I don't think there was any growth between the main characters and they could easily get in another fight a month later. The gaming elements of the book were fantastic as someone who doesn't really play games much but the book really struggled during the Pioneers chapter for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Ableism, Sexual violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Death, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Gun violence

bibliophilekiera's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Car accident, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Torture, Abortion, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death

sabrinas's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Suicide, Chronic illness, Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Car accident, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Rape, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Torture

Minor: Abortion, Transphobia, and Racism

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book.  It was a fascinating blend of character and plot.  I'm not a gamer, but I found the creation of the games so interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Racism, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Torture, Confinement, and Drug use

Minor: Abortion and Cancer

chippyreads's review against another edition

I couldn't do it. Was excited to read a book about friendship with an aromantic/asexual mc and WOW I DID NOT MEAN A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP OMG. I stopped reading after the handcuffing incident. I don't want to read a book where everyone treats each other like crap.

I'll watch the movie, but I'm not putting myself through this depressing beautiful writing just to feel shit about everything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Blood, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Drug use, and Confinement

isleoflinds's review

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I went into this book with mixed expectations. I tried reading it when it was first released, but couldn't get into it. When it started getting a lot of attention, I heard a negative review for it that made it sound really interesting, so I took another shot. As an ace person who is pretty steeped in nerd culture, I was really excited for a story sold as "two friends who were often in love -- but never lovers." To that end, I was not disappointed. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow delivered all the gaming nostalgia and a heart-tugging story about a different kind of love. However, there were elements of the book - especially the second half -  that were tedious and, at least to me, undercut a lot of the first half seemed to build up to. 

I thought that the characters - Sadie and Sam - were really well-rounded and flawed, but believable people. I was disappointed in the development of the character Marx, who felt most often like a plot device despite also appearing to be almost as significant as Sam and Sadie. Many of the tropes included about halfway through also felt unnecessary and I think a lot of the tension between Sadie and Sam could have happened without employing them. In general, I think Sadie's story was marred by too many gender-related difficulties. I know that being a woman in tech (now, but especially in the 90s) was difficult, but the bulk of the harm she experienced wasn't even related to her work, and I just wish we could have seen her face other issues. 

The structure of the book was incredibly compelling - it is built around the vague idea that each "part" is its own game. Especially in the first half of the book, I could really feel the themes aligning with the structure of the book in an intriguing way. The story took a lot of turns in the second half that were just not for me (

miscommunication trope, two accidental pregnancy tropes for the same character, dead baby daddy, and just a general waste of what could have been a really enlightening use of the NPC chapter concept.

) and I do think it affected my reading. The execution of Part IV was by far my favorite use of the novel's video game structure, however, and made the closeout of the story more satisfying.

Overall, I think that Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow had great bones for a story, I just wish it had been a little shorter and/or that it had spent more time considering the significance of Marx. In a story about the complex ways that people can love one another, Marx was central to this, and making <spoilers>the NPC</spoilers> seemed more of an afterthought to be profound rather. 

My final very small complaint is the little statement at the end about <spoilers>"this generation thinking their whole personality is their trauma." I am a millennial, so perhaps this very Gen X sentiment just isn't for me, but in 2022, the inclusion of this bit feels quite purposeful. It was said and largely abandoned, squeezed in at the end and unexplored. Why say something that significant and then end the book with "oh I guess maybe our trauma made us who we are too... or maybe not!" Trauma use colloquially often refers to 'the difficult things I have experienced in my life that give me perspective on the world and how I interact with it.' Perhaps this is nuanced, but it just felt quite dismissive and not necessary.</spoilers>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gaslighting, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, and Sexual violence