Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

5 reviews

abeplaut's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Certain bits of mythology and folklore were invented to tell this story. One small complaint is the inclusion of a “name changed at Ellis Island” sort of scene. This is a common myth among many Jewish American families that names were changed during immigration proceedings. The truth is that people petitioned the state of NY to change names after the fact. That one detail was a distraction from an otherwise exciting story set in 19th century NYC at the convergence of Yiddish/Ashkenazi Jewish and Syrian and Arab folklore. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Outing, Death, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

raekynnes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Self harm

nessynoname's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

There is no getting around the fact that this book is incredibly slow. Part of that comes from an abundance of detail in the writing style and careful introspection of each character. But if you are patient with the narrative you will find an incredibly rich and meticulously plotted story that wraps itself up into a neat and elegant bow by the end. 
I am not incredibly into the historical genre but this story plays to several of my specific interests. I very much enjoyed learning about the not-oft utilized myth creatures of golems and jinn and appreciated how thoroughly grounded in cultural contexts the author aspires to present them. The author seems to take great care giving detail to the Jewish and Syrian communities, both New and Old World, featured in the story, and every character is unique and grounded. I also deeply appreciate that main characters Ahmad and Chava, while not exactly being *not* romantically interested in each other, have factors to their relationship outside of romantic intrigue and are allowed to organically come to value and enjoy each other's company rather than being smashed together out of obligation of being the male and female leads. In closing, this is a lovingly and meticulously crafted book. Slow as it is, I would not begrudge someone being impatient with it but I greatly appreciated my time with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness, Confinement, Pregnancy, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

brassmonkey's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Confinement

Moderate: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, and Sexism

Minor: Blood, Grief, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Adult/minor relationship

apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Racism, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Infidelity