Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

20 reviews

kelsiepixler's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

The story was slow at points, and I had to set page goals to keep myself from putting it down in the beginning. That being said, the last 1/3 of the book made it a worthy read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicide, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Minor: Miscarriage, Outing, Kidnapping, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, and Misogyny

horizonous's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

I would love to write an eloquent review for this book but I can't even find a beginning.

It's heartbreaking, hopeful and beautiful with characters and found family dynamics that will stay with me for a while. The writing, especially the descriptions of the ocean, are also very impactful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicide, and Homophobia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Racism, Torture, Antisemitism, and Alcoholism

◦ Forced institutionalization = Conversion therapy
◦ Mental illness = Depression, PTSD

ktrain3900's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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? Yes

4.0

I'm not sure I have much (if anything) to say that hasn't already been said: it's beautiful, hopeful, heartbreaking, layered, powerful, yearning, joyous, mournful, sexy, difficult, triumphant. It's a celebration of resistance and hard work, as well as escape and survival. Most of all, it's a paean for queer love among women and female friendship. If you can't be moved by this book, consider your heart made of stone. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Infidelity, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide

arieloley's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

This novel spoke about heartache in a way that I didn’t know was possible. De Robertis wove in history, love, growth, triumph, fear, and so much more to create a deep emotional tangle the conveyed the need for acceptance and love in our world. The book was slow paced and had a lot of context, which made me take longer with it, but highly worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Colonisation, Classism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Outing, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Miscarriage, Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Antisemitism

istmiajuppe's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? N/A

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Rape, Police brutality, Torture, War, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Miscarriage and Alcoholism

rachelmansmckenny'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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Suicide

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage

linguaphile412's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Torture, Miscarriage, and Antisemitism

cardigans's review against another edition

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage

annreadsabook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

I'd read a couple rave reviews of CANTORAS going into this book, so I had fairly high expectations which were all absolutely met and, I think, exceeded.

CANTORAS tells the story of five queer women living in 1970s Uruguay, a period during which many were disappeared, imprisoned, tortured, and even killed. In the midst of this immense suffering, they struggle to find a place of their own in the world away from the dangers and routines of their home city of Montevideo. Each of the five women comes to the sleepy seaside town of Cabo Polonio with their respective emotional turmoil and personal crises, but find within each other the steadfast community they deeply needed. Over the subsequent years, we watch each of these women find and lose love, navigate the violent military regime in Uruguay, and fall in and out of friendship within their small group of “cantoras” in a society where homosexuality is outlawed with life-threatening consequences. 

I was thoroughly transported to Cabo Polonio during the women’s excursions, and could feel a marked shift from the claustrophobia and terror within Montevideo to the more freeing air of the seascape. You grow a deep fondness for each of the characters as they themselves grow more into themselves; this is the kind of novel that leaves you with the simultaneously dreaded and beloved Book Hangover.

I think this is an excellent read for those who are wary of historical fiction, as there was never a time at which I felt I was bogged down in dense blocks of historical exposition. I read this book in only two sittings—it’s just that good. I truly can’t wait to get my hands on another De Robertis book.

Please be sure to check out the content warnings for this book, as it addresses some extremely heavy topics, some in more detail than others.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual assault

rubycb's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, and Torture