Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Secret History (Abridged Version) by Donna Tartt

325 reviews

angel_kiiss's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I do love reading about bad people. If you don’t like reading about bad or morally grey people I guess don’t read this very good book? 

An exceptionally interesting book that is paced well up until the end. The third act is slow but ironically rushes in the end. 

I did, however, spend the whole book trying to figure out what part of the character of Bunny or the story inspired Mona Awad to write her novel. So far I’ve still made no connection between the two Bunnys to make sense of it. Other than the fact that it’s about to poor kids getting caught up in the lives of their rich peers while at an exclusive university. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Homophobia, Death, Grief, Blood, Incest, Animal death, Murder, and Drug use

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

plathandthebelljar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Addiction

Moderate: Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Gun violence, Racism, Biphobia, Cursing, Incest, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny, Medical content, Grief, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm

dr_sol's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A wonderful book which will reside in your mind for quite a while.
Nevertheless, the plot felt dragged on in some parts of the book and I've asked myself several times if Donna Tartt is scared of ending chapters. (Over 500 pages of story put into 8 chapters!!)
The book was gloomy and it felt like you were in your own dark world full of dead languages, feelings of superiority and the loss of morality alongside the characters (who I've grown quite fond of, even after I've learnt their flaws (even Bunny has earned some sympathy))
Since I've borrowed this book and therefore it was in German, I plan to get it in English and read it again some time. 
I'm already excited!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Sexism, and Death

katenaum's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Suicide

Moderate: Homophobia, Classism, Suicide attempt, and Incest

Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Vomit

ctb681's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

It’s a book that will leave you devastated once you finish the last sentence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child abuse and Car accident

dillydallyallie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

WOW.

OH MY GOD THAT ENDING I WAS FREAKING ON A PLANE READING THAT

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Addiction, Car accident, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Blood, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

naomi_salters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Chronic illness, Drug use, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Incest, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Addiction, Death, Body shaming, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Bullying, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Violence

casswerk's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I think I said it over and over again reading this book. It was a very detailed story that connects so many different worlds. My problem is that I hated all the characters so there was no one to root for which made it a hard read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Addiction

lovellcharlotte's review against another edition

5.0

 “…she really was older, not the glancing-eyed girl I had fallen in love with but no less beautiful for that; beautiful now in a way that a less excited my senses than tore at my very heart” 

 

“Mais, vrai, J'ai trop pleure! Les aubes sont navrantes.” 

 

“…and my life which I had thought was lost, stretched out indescribably precious and sweet before me.”

“Some things are too terrible to grasp at once. Other things - naked, sputtering, indelible in their horror - are too terrible to really grasp ever at all. It is only later, in solitude, in memory that the realisation dawns: when the ashes are cold; when the mourners have departed; when one looks around and finds oneself - quite to one's surprise - in an entirely different world.” 

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Suicide, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

arthedgehog's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Incest, Gaslighting, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Gore, Death, Alcohol, Incest, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Gun violence, Animal death, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Murder, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Drug use, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Gore, Drug use, Classism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Islamophobia, Cursing, Sexual assault, Rape, Abandonment, Car accident, Suicide, Sexism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Biphobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Deportation, Racism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Misogyny, and Incest