Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

16 reviews

siriface's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, War, Abortion, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

simonas's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.75

Gorgeous prose centering on the lives of Japanese "photo brides" and the generation of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans affected by Japanese internment. The story is told from the plural first person of the Japanese women, spanning from their arrival to the United States as brides-to-be to their forceful removal from their homes after Pearl Harbor. Absolutely stunning use of plural narration: individual experiences are woven together seamlessly to create a mosaic of community, with all of their differences and similarities highlighted. A heartbreaking and hauntingly beautiful embrace of womanhood. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

k_pelowk's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective 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

5.0

Goodness gracious, this book is so beautiful. I just finished it and think I may pick it up and read it again right away.  Like a poem, rhythm, word choice and simplicity build effortless images and character sketches. It broadened my understanding of my American History and heritage. I loved every moment, even the frequent painful ones. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Pregnancy, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Suicide, Infertility, Grief, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Rape, Death, Child death, War, and Sexual assault

Most are very brief as the book is a series of vignettes.

goldenflame852's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Suicide

balfies's review against another edition

challenging informative sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Beautiful little book about Japanese immigrants to America in the first half of the twentieth century, told from the collective perspective of the women. Otsuka is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers, she has such a unique voice and her storytelling collages are so deftly constructed.

One of the chapters appeared as a short story in a 2011 edition of Granta magazine, and I had used it as one of my HSC Belonging texts, so it's good to have finally read the full thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, and War

fearsome_to_behold's review

slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism and Death

Minor: War

jaqylantern's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence

wilmacarlheim's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Child death

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

the point of view for this book was SO effective

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, War, Abandonment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Child death, Classism, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Murder, Racism, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Child abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

mekrasts's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

3.5

This book covers the experiences of women who are transported from Japan to America in order to get married, and follows them in their journeys of change all the way to World War II. It is written in such a way that seems to be in the first person, but describes experiences from all of the women at once. It is mostly a sad story, about loss and longing, but it doesn't lack hopefulness and contentment. I think the main thing that I took away from it is that change is hard, and that the only thing you can do in the face of it is adapt. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence