Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

8 reviews

fishindices's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

0.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

_christinadevin's review

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

1.5

I have never ranked a book so low, that was awful. I think I hated it so much because it was about like, how terrible it is to be female and yeah no thank you. 
PS. If you have any sort of triggers, don’t read this, it would be easier to say what it doesn’t have 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment

alomie's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.5

A dark book, hard to read in parts, and full of abuse and torture. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Torture, and Medical trauma

phoebees'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Rape, and Sexual harassment

ratking's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Blood and Vomit

frogglin's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? No

4.0

Waking in a dusty, crumbling building, Verna has no idea how she got there or why. In the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Australia, she and a group of other women have found themselves drugged and imprisoned. It's not until she connects the dots - high profile affairs, sexual assaults - that she realised they are there to be punished for their actions, and for being the kind of women who get involved in sex (either willingly or otherwise). Dressed in heavy, old fashioned clothes they are put to work in the compound. The threat of a belting or a kick to the stomach ever present. 

As the group decays, and the staff there to keep them in line start to fall apart, there is a strong sense of desperation. The losses of their previous lives and the inward turning minds of the women add a layer of sadness to the struggle and panic. The book is set in the here and now, it is not a mysterious dystopian future, it is a dystopian present.

It is hard to continue in places, the descriptions of injuries and the gutting of rabbits are detailed, but somehow this horror adds more than it takes away from the story.

If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be "brutal". But it is also compelling, and one I suspect will stay with me for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide

heytayashleigh's review

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug abuse

roxiw's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief