Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

40 reviews

ltsang08's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Slavery, Sexual violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, War, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Suicide, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Rape

theothergrl's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book does a wonderful job of showing us how patriarchy harms both women and men. It's a retelling of Achilles' story of the Battle of Troy from the perspective of his bed slave, Briseis. Their horrific and very sad relationship is explored earnestly. It's not a story about love, it's about two people pushed into bed and how they grieve immense loss not together but side-by-side. In different ways they are both denied the ability to process these emotions. They both grapple with their anger at the wasteful and pointless reasons for their loss. The loneliness and pain they both experience come from two hands of the same body, patriarchy. I think the way this is shown so paralleled throughout story, not in comparison to one another, is what makes this such brilliant feminist literature.

And, of course considering everything else, this book is a wonderful example of how we can tell stories with even the extremes of sexual violence, and tell them well without gratuitousness nor overly graphic. I did not once feel that there was no need for a particular sex/rape scene, when they were there, it added to the story. 

The 3 main characters in this book are loveable (and 2 very much despiseable) in a very complicated and heart wrenching way. But you'll definately enjoy spending time with them and hearing their story, I would 100% recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Slavery, and Trafficking

Moderate: Sexual violence, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Blood, Infidelity, and Rape

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, Child death, and Pregnancy

tmickey's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Rape, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Trafficking

Moderate: Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

gondorgirl's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Blood, Child death, Pregnancy, Suicide, War, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Slavery, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

Moderate: Animal death

smudgy2312's review

dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Trafficking, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Rape, War, Murder, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pregnancy and Child death

milliewhattt's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Opened really strongly, but the just got almost too repetitive. The ending was brilliant though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, War, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Genocide, Suicide, Slavery, Murder, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Infidelity

risaleel's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Blood, Slavery, Sexual harassment, War, Child death, Violence, Death, Excrement, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Torture

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, and Vomit

trinofspades's review

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Trafficking, Slavery, War, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Classism, Murder, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Child abuse, Death, and Rape

gracewiley's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Slavery, War, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Grief, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Child death, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, and Sexism

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, Vomit, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, Excrement, Domestic abuse, and Infertility

mushymargo's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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? No

5.0

Loved seeing another POV of Achille’s story, about time. Felt real and raw and much closer to history then any other story of Troy. Loved the many mentions of other names from legends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Classism, Confinement, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail