Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

Na casa dos sonhos by Carmen Maria Machado

204 reviews

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Medical content, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal death, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Biphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Rape, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, and Confinement

Minor: Dementia, Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Bullying, Gun violence, and Stalking

amyhasel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Heartbreaking, informative, and brilliant, with circular narrative that will just keep punching you in the gut. Thank God Carmen Maria Machado is also hilarious, or every reader would be breathless with horror. Not a love story, except maybe with herself. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

Moderate: Violence, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, and Toxic friendship

sunshine_sophia's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

an absolutely beautiful read. this book was eloquent, wickedly smart, and moving. the prose-style writing is poetic and reads rhythmically. i loved the themes of each chapter and the pop culture references. even though i did not recognize all of them, Machado made it very accessible to demonstrate her point(s). 

as someone who works in the domestic violence/sexual violence awareness realm, this was poignant and applicable to my work. relationship violence is already something that many people shy away from and would rather brush under the rug. queer relationship violence is even more scarce when it comes to discussions around it (or lack thereof). Machado beautifully shows the light on queer domestic violence with her own powerful story paralleled by literature and research. not only was it moving but it was also educational. 

i listened to the audiobook, narrated by Machado herself, which made it more personal.  overall, this was an incredibly moving and thought-provoking read. i would recommend this book to queer individuals, especially women loving women individuals, and allies and supporters alike. we must shine a light on relationship violence, especially in marginalized communities. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Biphobia and Lesbophobia

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Cursing, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexual content, Body horror, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Violence, Bullying, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Dementia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Gun violence

blackbird300's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Lesbophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

inoshiiro's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

In the Dream House is an amazingly written memoir... although I may be biased as this was the first memoir I've ever read. I bought it as a congratulatory treat for myself after finishing my final uni work for the semester, and I finished the day after. 

I have often thought about and participated in the discussions surrounding queer representation in media. I've heard two opposing arguments thrown around frequently: "queer representation is too morbid and sad, and portrays us in a negative light" and "queer rep shouldn't just be all sunshine and rainbows, it's not realistic". I feel like this text tackles both of these arguments, even if that might not have been the author's central purpose. Media representation often reflects the 'reality' of those who hold power in society. As Machado notes, this is the same for history. The people in power are the ones writing the narratives. The way this memoir discusses the author's experiences alongside tackling the societal erasure of domestic abuse in queer female relationships is masterful. The format of the chapters were so creatively put together. The way parts of the text was repeated and emphasised was something I had never seen before (then again, I am not a huge nonfiction reader). I particularly adored

the repeating elements of 'when I was writing this book', the Choose Your Own Adventure Story chapter, and the inclusion of historical events and stories. Oh! and Val :)

The writing was emotive and beautifully composed, keeping my eyes glued to the pages until I physically couldn't keep them open anymore. The short length of the individual parts kept my short attention span captured, and I found myself half-way through the book before I even realised. 
I think this book has crawled it's way into my favourites, and I would definitely consider re-reading or looking into more of Machado's works. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Cursing

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Drug use

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

blymanor's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Body shaming, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, and Lesbophobia

mdwsn27's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Vomit, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Body shaming, Abandonment, and Biphobia

toyin_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

It can be tricky for a survivor to read another survivor's experience, laid out like this, and not feel in some sense that it is too much, or too similar. Dream house as choose your adventure is my favourite section of the book, it feels like a closed loop and it is confrontational. When you try to stop the abuse, there's an aside between reader and author that is challenging, the idea you think you can when you can't. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

yinflower's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse