Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Revival Season by Monica West

14 reviews

amdawson's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A complicated family dynamic emerges when 15-year-old Miriam begins to see her preacher father in a new light. A struggle of faith, both in her family and in God, takes place after Miriam’s experiences don’t line up perfectly with what she’s been taught to believe. 

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silverrose187's review

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challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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mia_merrill's review

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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ebosscher's review against another edition

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

2.75


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rebwenhall's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

This was such a great book. It was rather infuriating, but it was written quite subtly in the way that all the characters begin to realize their father is not a good man.

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coverofkayla's review

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dark medium-paced

3.75


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annablake's review

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challenging emotional sad 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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bootsmom3's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

2.0


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serendipitysbooks's review

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emotional reflective tense 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

4.0

 Ever read a book that you enjoy but then struggle to know what to say about it? Revival Season is that book for me. I finished it a couple of months ago and have drafted and deleted several reviews in the interim.

It’s a novel that explores aspects of patriarchal evangelical religion, something I’m oddly interested in - as an outside observer, definitely not planning to join any churches! So I enjoyed being exposed more to that community and trying to understand the people who inhabit it.

The feminist in me always loves to rage-read an awful male character. Rev. Samuel Horton certainly delivered in that regard. The more his power and control lessened, the more violent, manipulative, and abusive he became.

I also enjoyed reading this as a coming of age story. As her father’s fortunes decline and he reveals himself not to be the man 15 year old Miriam thought he was, she has to reevaluate how she views him, her parents’ marriage, and her faith. Complicating things is the fact that she comes to believe she has the power to heal, something her church and father say is reserved for men.

It’s a slow burn and overall a quiet book. There’s religion but not in a preachy way. Like I said I enjoyed it.

This book would pair well with God Spare the Girls which I read and enjoyed earlier in the year. (I had planned to read them back to back but my library had other plans.) It too looks at the impact an evangelical preacher’s fall from grace has on his daughters, and on their understanding and practice of their their faith. 

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catladyreads's review

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

4.0


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