Reviews tagging 'Violence'

De schemerpoort by Jeanette Winterson

7 reviews

abbie_'s review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

2.0

I have a hit and miss relationship with Jeanette Winterson - Lighthousekeeping was brilliant, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, good, Sexing the Cherry left me absolutely baffled. I’d have to say The Daylight Gate falls beneath them all - I didn’t hate it, but I definitely didn’t love it either. It sits somewhere between historical fiction and fantasy, drawing on the Pendle witch trials but doused in a good amount of horror to make it something of Winterson’s own.

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The main creative difference Winterson admits here is that her version of Alice Nutter is nothing like history’s Alice Nutter. Winterson plays with the idea that these women truly were witches, so expect supernatural and magical elements. But she doesn’t need to exert too much imagination when depicting the violence enacted against women in the 1600s. Some of the descriptions, especially pertaining to Jennet, a child, turned my stomach and I wondered if they were absolutely essential to include. We’re all aware of the violence women suffered during James I’s campaign to wipe out both witchcraft and Catholicism in England, I’m not sure such graphic depictions of r*pe and inc*st added a great deal beyond shock value.

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I’m writing this review about two weeks after I finished it, and all that’s stayed with me is the shock violence. Probably not one I’d recommend off the cuff, but if you have a particular interest in witch trials then this one might offer you something more!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Torture, and Religious bigotry

freyajazz's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

balfies's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

I don't normally read horror but I will read Jeanette winterson any day of the week. This was a spectacularly gruesome historical fiction about witches in England in 1612, centring on Alice Nutter. 

Vivid magical realism, compelling spellcraft, and prose so textured I could feel the walls.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Incest, Death, Torture, Blood, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

victoria_catherine_shaw's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Incest

theghostintheattic's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Excrement, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Death, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Incest, Murder, Blood, Pedophilia, Rape, and Vomit

rainbowrachel's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Sexual assault, and Violence

vigil's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

1.0

i used to have a long review here, but i think it’s better if i just left it at: it didn’t need to be written. genuinely. no theme, shallow characters, and a plot that only occasionally made sense. she dishes out sexual violence a lot , which i don’t inherently have issues with but it has little bearing on the plot and character beyond a sentence or paragraph at best, so why bother to include it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Violence