Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

10 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Definitely a fatiguing book but the kind of book you’d want to teach or take a class on. So much going on in here! People I rooted for despite myself, the goldfinch as an emblem, the psychological triggers for the choices made compulsively, the life of the painting and the parallels to the soul of the protagonist, ask the people we meet by chance and what that really means, etc. Long book worth every minute and every page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Confinement, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

jelliestars's review

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Cursing, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Racism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

Minor: Animal death, Classism, Deportation, Torture, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Islamophobia, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, and Transphobia

syd4panda's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.25

took me about seven months to read. somewhat of a comfort book during that time, but nothing i'd pick up again. got attached to the characters and learned to love and hate their flaws. despite the art gallery bombing being an experience that (i'm assuming) no reader has gone through as well as being an art thief, theo himself is certainly relatable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Death of parent, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Domestic abuse, and Death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Vomit

malebrina's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Alcohol

Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Bullying, Mental illness, and Grief

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

akvolcano's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you’d like to get completely immersed into a characters life, read this book. I can not wait to discuss this book in-depth with someone!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Misogyny, Addiction, Antisemitism, Cursing, Death of parent, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Dysphoria, and Xenophobia

japanasi's review against another edition

shelving this as dnf for the time being, I’ll probably need to pick it up from scratch when I start reading it again because I doubt I will do so in the foreseeable future 😅 (not sure if ever tbh, it was super depressing and not what I had expected)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcoholism, and Cursing

oyasum1's review

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Gaslighting, Vomit, and Gun violence

bucknife's review

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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

erinlouise7's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Cursing, and Gaslighting

tobeeornottobee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

i've seen a lot of negative reviews about this book. about how it's boring, hard to get through, uniteresting. i think if your only critique of a book is that it's boring, it's not really a critique. it's a heavy book, it was written in the early 2000's and deals with a lot of trauma and unhealthy coping mechanisms. going in i thought this was a book i would have to drag myself through. i didn't find that to be true in the least. its dysfunctional and unreliable, a direct reflection of the narrator. the book takes us through a lifetime spent severely depressed and filled high with anxiety. i think if it was shorter, less wordy, it would have been so much more impersonal. it wouldn't have settled in my chest the same way. (also the characters. obviously, we're seeing it through theo's eyes so everything is tinted with his thoughts and feelings. i think boris and theo's dynamic is really important. i think andy deserved better. i think theo is a repressed gay man. i think these people were real and tangible.) take care with the topics and triggers in this book. but if it is something you think you'll enjoy, don't be deterred by negative reviews. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Gore, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death