Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

8 reviews

lauramcc7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content

starsreside's review

mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Child death and Sexual content

nicoleisalwaysreading's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

I read this one in obsessive fits - almost breathlessly in two days, through the night and past dawn. My favorite part was reading it as the night shifted into morning and a thunder storm shook my apartment and rain hit the paved walkway just outside my window (isn’t that just the best thing you’ve ever heard? the drama!)

This is the best book I’ve read in a very long time. There are so many layers, things seething under the surface, no obvious metaphors, only complexity. It feels masterful and it’s unsettling and absolutely beautiful and when I finished I actually gasped and that turned into a cough (again, the DRAMA)

I already can’t wait to re-read this. Thank you Goodreads for a copy of this one; I was truly overjoyed when I saw I had won a giveaway for a book I had been wanting to read for a long time.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Violence, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Physical abuse

turning_every_paige's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse

bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

dark mysterious relaxing slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Infidelity

Minor: Child death and Cancer

innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-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

3.5

This feels less like a novel and more like an observation of the intersecting lives of the characters over a period of time. The presence and fear of the serpent is  pervasive, it changes people’s behaviour and impacts the way they live their lives. The writing is excellent, the narrative interesting enough to be unpredictable and it held my attention, but not engrossing enough to read it fast. I could have happily read a chapter a month and kept pace with the passage of time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma and Medical content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse and Infidelity

rieviolet's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I went into the book not really knowing what to expect (it's a book that I've seen recommended many times and wanted to give it a try) and now that I've finished it I can say that it was a nice enough read and clearly well written and researched but it just fell a bit flat for me in terms of story.  

Unfortunately, I did not care much about the two main characters and their relationship and I was more intrested in the various side characters, their portrayal and plot lines. Also, on various occasions, the 
choices and actions made by the characters left me very perplexed and just felt a bit out of place. 

Overall, I quite appreciated the writing stlye/prose, although there were some segments where the author narrated in a sort of sequence each characters' progress within the story and those parts I found a bit dragging.

Also, I didn't particularly enjoy the detailed description of injuries and medical procedures, maybe they seem quite tame for many people but I am squeamish and so I found it really difficult to go through those parts. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content

Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Body shaming, and Sexual violence

navigatingliterature's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

I loved the writing style of this book. It felt lyrical & peaceful, even though some of the content was about a town & people in distress. The setting felt like it’s own character and the writing reminded me a lot of classic literature (I read an interview about the author after and she grew up largely reading classics & the King James Bible so you can see how this has influenced her writing). I felt saddened by some of the characters personal choices, but still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content