Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Na casa dos sonhos by Carmen Maria Machado

1206 reviews

prizazz's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

It's a perfect book. It's a uniquely presented experience of life. It's got gorgeous language. But it is a tough read at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

cheerstochels's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Confinement, Fatphobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Car accident, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

finnthehuman217's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Carmen María Machado is incredible and her writing speaks for itself but her voice in the queer world being a survivor of DV, I am so proud of her getting out but also being brave enough to tell her story. It’s fucked up that this happens at all but the people who are bringing it to light are amazing for making this issue visible. The first time I heard about this book I put it off because it is jarring and I recognize those moments of anger from a childhood of a parent with a short fuse and bipolar. I hope the woman from the dream house got help because she seems very unstable and it makes me want to cry my eyes out thinking about it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

cyberworm's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

krmreads2024's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Lesbophobia

e11en's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

maritareads's review against another edition

I felt like I had to finish it rather than wanting to finish it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism and Lesbophobia

Minor: Cancer

slimygf's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

teekeita's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.25

This is an inventive style of memoir. The

choose your own ending part

!!
Again it reminds me of Christina Sharpe/McKittrick's use of (end)notes and writing in snapshots/short succinct bites. I loved the recurring 'styles' of what i'm going to call 'Dream House' diary entries where the style and form feels the same; we know what to expect as reader (e.g. the chapter 'Dream House as Déjà Vu'). Machado has a way of writing memoir that reads like poetry; some of this book is poetry. A difficult read of lesbian domestic abuse...some (re)accounts shook me to my core. A happy shock though was

Machado ending up with the third woman, Val, at the end of the story

. I wish there was a bit more engagement with the I in the book - that is who is Carmen and what is her positionality, particularly when the form switches from memoir to nonfiction essay. The chapters on queer domestic abuse especially. White latinas have a way invoking critical race analysis and not positioning themselves within their analysis. Overall a superb book that pushes the boundary of what is memoir. Exsquisite chapters: 'Dream House as Spy Thriller', 'Dream House as 9 Thornton Square', 'Dream House as Ambiguity', 'Dream House as Double Cross'. I cannot get the line "a kick of anxiety in your lungs" out of my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse

its_eel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Gaslighting