Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Mädchen, Frau etc. by Bernardine Evaristo

367 reviews

dannb's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

Struggling to resolve how I think and feel about this book… drawn to it by subject and as a Booker Prize winner

12 stories about mostly black, British women… intertwined amongst each other.  

This book is especially “rough” on the younger characters… made them very unlikeable. 

We don’t get to know the characters very deeply… I think I would have preferred fewer characters and more depth beyond their sexual experiences.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Rape

gretareadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Death of parent, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Transphobia and Child death

brain_z's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.75

Eye opening 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Bullying, Child abuse, and Transphobia

booklover389's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Racism

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, and Transphobia

Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Child death, Rape, Xenophobia, and Death

maya_reads_books_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Infidelity and Racism

sandysmith's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

3.75

I'm gradually adding books I've read in 2021 to give a true reflection of the books I've read since keeping records.  This was the first book I read in 2021, and is what kick-started my reading journey having put reading on the  back burner whilst bringing up the children,  previously being an avid reader. A story of 11 women and 1 non binary character interwoven together. Their lives linking together Amma, Jazz, Dominique, Carole, Bummi, Latisha, Shirley, Winsome, Penelope Megan/Morgan, Hattie and Grace. Difficult to read as there were no full stops or punctuation, hard to overlook but you do get used to the wriing style.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Transphobia

lukhanyoreadthis's review against another edition

informative reflective 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Racism, and Sexual assault

matmatmatty's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring 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? N/A

5.0

For anyone reading this review to find out if they should read it, please PLEASE check out the CW/TW beforehand! Those scenes are written so beautifully and they aren't graphic but were still very emotional.

I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.

I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.

This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.

This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.

All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)

Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child death

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage

alexashabit's review against another edition

reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Transphobia

lucyhicks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

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

3.0

I really wanted to love this book and there was so much that was great about it. Each character’s story was poignant and striking, and I loved the way they were all intertwined. My problem was that I just couldn’t quite bring myself to care deeply enough about any of them. Maybe that’s part and parcel of having that many characters, but I found their stories less powerful because I wasn’t truly invested in them as people. This varied from person to person, and some characters evoked more emotion than others, but I wish there had been fewer characters and more plot overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Homophobia