Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

24 reviews

kelsie4's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Picked up this book not knowing how huge it was (both in size and in popularity) that they made a movie. All the more I was intrigued to read it. If you love a book carried by dialogue this is for you. I devoured this book. As a woman living in New York I feel that pressure to be something or other everyone is trying but you see only the special few make it. It’s an empowering book to see stubborn women paving the way for themselves but of course it comes at a price. Nobody’s likable but you root for them anyways to have a revelation and change. A book I’d like to have a copy of and let everyone I know read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Classism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Abortion, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Misogyny, Mental illness, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Drug use, Cancer, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

ka4t's review

challenging dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Self harm

macieslater's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

this book really pulled me in right from the beginning. i feel like im still gathering my thoughts but i absolutely love books that follow characters throughout their life, and it was really interesting how much some of them changed (especially neely). i can def see why this was so revolutionary at the time and i would be so curious to see a modern adaptation 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Eating disorder, Drug use, Body shaming, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Mental illness, and Drug abuse

abbymatherne's review

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was everything I wanted Black Swans by Eve Babitz to be. The story follows three main women and their downfalls as they each transform into the person they swore they would never be due to men, addiction, and greed. This is not a particularly moving or deep novel, but it kept my attention and I found it enjoyable to read. I enjoyed reading about the lives of the three young women in glamorous locations and the psychological toll explored when one tries to navigate the entertainment industry and the world of the wealthy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abortion, Terminal illness, Homophobia, Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Self harm

lollymac's review against another edition

dark medium-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Drug use, Abortion, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Medical content, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Infidelity, Grief, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Cancer, Alcohol, and Abandonment

The book was slow to start as Anne isn't the most interesting character to follow around. But I raced to the finish as it became a telenovela. If you want to read about career women who get punished for every bad decision they make, and men who do the bare minimum facing no consequences and getting rewarded for it.

vleighp's review

emotional sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Fatphobia, Suicide, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Misogyny, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Addiction

i thought this was gonna be sad but be a girly wow women friendships are so powerful!!! it was not and i am sad sad as hell!! very good read though

bmpicc's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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

2.0

Absolute trash. If it was non-fiction it'd be titled 'How to be a Monster Friend'. I disliked all the characters... perhaps that was the point(?). I had to keep reminding myself when it was published too. The excessive use of the word "fag" and criticisms of women being "fat" was making me internally scream. 

This is listed as a cult classic and was on my TBR for a long time. I'm sad to say that I was disappointed. I think it is the fact that none of the characters grew or learned. They were the same people at the end as they were at the beginning, just fueled by little colored dolls. It was all tell, no show.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Suicide, Fatphobia, Self harm, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abortion

gabriella_'s review

dark emotional funny sad tense

• 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

4.5

this book is going to haunt me, i know it. parts of the book are tough to swallow (esp the fatphobia/body shaming, ableism, and homophobia) but if you can power through, it’s so worth it. idk if this is a hot take but i think it has a similar message to the barbie movie but it does it better

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Gaslighting, Grief, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Cancer, Classism, Confinement, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Blood, Body shaming, Abandonment, Ableism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Death

lbyars99's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Alcohol, Cancer, Grief, Homophobia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Death, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

celisabeth's review

dark emotional inspiring fast-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

A very popular book of the time, this novel is set in New York and Hollywood. It is a story of glamour and beauty on the outside, and drugs and abuse on the inside. I was really sympathetic towards Anne’s story, as she just wanted to escape small-town life and she never had the intention of becoming famous. She holds on longer than the other women, but just like them she ends up in the Valley of the Dolls. I found her story incredibly sad, particularly as it drew to a close. Throughout the book, she never manages to maintain a happy, healthy lifestyle. In fact, she is the first to start popping pills (or “dolls”, as the women call them). I could see clear similarities between Jennifer’s story and that of Marilyn Monroe. Neely comes from nothing, and she is best friends with Anne when she first moves to the city. After getting a big break at a young age, she is catapulted into fame and stardom. She moves to Hollywood, acting in pictures and slowly losing touch with reality, only exacerbated by mistreatment in the industry. This book is sad, touching and truthful. Susann chooses to comment on society at the time, using these three women to represent attitudes towards women in the limelight during this period. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Self harm

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment