Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

16 reviews

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.

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Abortion, Cancer, Death, Alcohol, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Suicide, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, War, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Violence

Minor: Antisemitism

moonwillow27458's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Drug use, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Addiction, Death, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Terminal illness, Body shaming, and Gaslighting

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

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

subtlymelancholy's review

dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

It's a slow start but if you really like Old Hollywood (before the collapse of the studio system, so like 1940s-60s) once you start it's REALLY difficult to put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Medical content, Sexism, Suicide, Addiction, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, and Terminal illness

There are a lot of seriously triggering topics covered in this book and it's not really something that can easily be skipped over. It's also a combination of the characters' internalized feelings and the result of the time and place the book was written.

rose12435's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This book is dark and like bojack horseman for girls that enjoy drama and misery. While this book isn't happy, I genuinely enjoyed finding out how much worse the characters could get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Alcoholism, Cancer, Fatphobia, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Rape, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Drug use, and Grief

This book is dark and not afraid to hurt it's reader. Please please please be careful when reading it

robyn1998's review

dark funny informative reflective sad tense 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

4.0

I'm glad I read this, but if I ever read the trigger warnings I would've left it alone. There's an enormous amount of diet talk, specific weights (some of which were a bit too real for me), ED behaviour and so on. Not to mention the fatphobia and dehumanisation of women. 
That being said, it's 4 stars because it was somehow so entertaining. I just couldn't put it down. It was like a time capsule and I love that in a book, especially when it's set in the US in the middle of the 20th century. Makes me want to read more Truman Capote books. I liked the characterisations, even though the characters themselves were mostly horrible.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Classism, Body shaming, Abortion, Homophobia, Misogyny, Addiction, Fatphobia, and Drug use

noshinbean's review

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Cancer, Grief, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Death, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

tschmitty's review

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

 I understand how this was a sensational read at the time of publication, but the longer it went on the less I cared about the three characters involved. Neely was especially annoying, what a pill! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Body shaming, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Addiction, Homophobia, Abortion, Alcoholism, Drug use, Cancer, and Sexism