Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

114 reviews

shieldbearer's review

This book was beautifully written but it didn't grab me the way "Mornings in Jenin" did. There is a lot of heavy, nuanced plotting here, but there are also several ways the plotting falls short, When looked at as a work of fiction, this simply does not do it for me. Part of it is that I can't get invested in the romance. A similar work that I preferred a lot is "Minor Detail"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Classism, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Cursing, Sexual violence, Ableism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Deportation, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Infertility, Abortion, Antisemitism, Outing, and Pregnancy

vanessamariebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

Favorite of the year. Highly recommend, especially for bookclubs or High School English classes. My thoughts here: https://www.youtube.com/live/jHkbo3kEbbg?si=AQwDiPhqLPCpTQey

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, Death, Homophobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Violence

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Ableism, Dementia, and Outing

mybestfriendisabook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

was hooked immediately!! i was doubtful if i would like it looking at the first page but it had an intriguing start with the MC which told me this character was going to be interesting. i loved how easy, smooth, and digestible it was to read - these are my favorites. i finished in 2 days, was reading until i couldn’t stay awake anymore. i would love a second book that continued the story but now i see why it’s not necessary as the ending showed the reality of her life.

touches on the occupation, resistance, romance, friendship, family, patriarchy, grief, and, undoubtedly, much more. had some really great quotes. learned more about the occupation of Palestine. 

i loved how bold the MC was and the life she lived. it made for a very interesting journey. idk why this is marked as slow-paced, it’s definitely medium and maybe even fast! (edit: submitted ticket to change to medium-paced) i found myself referring to the glossary often when needed, it’s interesting to learn. lots of stuff packed in made it worthwhile. 

the physical book format also helped in the smoothness - good page feel and font styling. love the cover too

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Confinement, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Colonisation, Murder, Sexual assault, Grief, Gun violence, Rape, Homophobia, Infidelity, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion

01ivia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Antisemitism, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Cancer

rachelfayreads's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Xenophobia, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Infertility, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Genocide, Deportation, Confinement, Colonisation, Abortion, and Antisemitism

malin_banalin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Spännande och rörande. Det händer så mycket i boken, känns som en hel livstid man får gå igenom och det är det ju typ också! Frihet och förtryck. Tycker om titeln (som framgår i boken är från en text av James Baldwin) och det poetiska i Abulhawas sätt att skriva. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Torture

mona_liest's review against another edition

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Check TWs!
First part of this book was hard to read but in the end I was glad that I did finish it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, and Confinement

Moderate: Blood, Torture, and Police brutality

Minor: Vomit, War, Alcohol, Antisemitism, and Racial slurs

lindsaylhunter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Soulful. A bit clunky in places and I'm still not sure the main character is as likeable as others seem to think. Though, given the current climate, I can see why this book has garnered the acclaim it has.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Death

Moderate: Rape and Sexism

Minor: Torture

fernz's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

I’m going to be thinking about this book for a long time. Heart wrenching yet there are so many moments of beauty, love and hope. The resilience of the Palestinian spirit is clear. Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement and Colonisation

Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, and Rape

mia_difelice'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? It's complicated

4.0

nahr, a Palestinian woman, has been kept for years in solitary confinement in a high-tech Israeli prison called the Cube. she tells her story from prison. 

 

born in Kuwait to Palestinian refugees, nahr's life takes her from the mansions of Kuwaiti businessmen, to the bustling streets of Amman, to her mother's hometown in Palestine. there, she falls in love not only with the love of her life, but with Palestine itself. 

 

this is an unflinching, unapologetic book that brings understanding to perspectives we don't hear, almost at all, in united states. on top of that, it is beautifully written in a simple, gripping voice--nahr's voice. her conversational tone obscures some of her surroundings but also brings out the poetry and her character more strongly. 

 

against the loveless world details the big and small violences of occupation, as well as big and small strategies for resistance. it's also a love story; a terribly bittersweet one that will stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Death, Sexual assault, and Colonisation

Minor: Torture