Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

13 reviews

kelsiepixler's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The story was slow at points, and I had to set page goals to keep myself from putting it down in the beginning. That being said, the last 1/3 of the book made it a worthy read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicide, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Abandonment

Minor: Miscarriage, Outing, Kidnapping, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, and Misogyny

horizonous's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I would love to write an eloquent review for this book but I can't even find a beginning.

It's heartbreaking, hopeful and beautiful with characters and found family dynamics that will stay with me for a while. The writing, especially the descriptions of the ocean, are also very impactful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicide, and Homophobia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Confinement, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Racism, Torture, Antisemitism, and Alcoholism

◦ Forced institutionalization = Conversion therapy
◦ Mental illness = Depression, PTSD

khakipantsofsex's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Suicide, Homophobia, Torture, and Sexual assault

umbellule's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Torture, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal death and Transphobia

there are mentions of sea lions being hunted and killed, but this happens 'offscreen' and is not graphically described. one of the main characters is a butcher, and their work is described, but no animals are killed on the page. there are a couple of brief mentions of 'crossdressers', who are described as men who like to dress as women; they are described without any malice, but are gendered only with he/him, which may sound transphobic depending on one's own cultural context. there are two mentions of sexual encounters involving underage people, which the now-grown people still describe as consensual. this is, however, not glamorised or fetishised. there is a flashback scene involving forced institutionalisation and torture. there are multiple flashbacks involving rape, including underaged rape and marital rape, though these are not graphic.

there is a graphic suicide scene, by falling, from the point of view of the one dying.

amccarthy's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Homophobia, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Infidelity, and Sexual violence

jeanspantalones's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I will be thinking about this one for a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Abandonment

Minor: Suicide, Confinement, Antisemitism, Torture, and Grief

The spoilers sound bad, but it is more a commentary on the historical context and setting of the book than the book itself. The author treats most of these scenes with respect, even if they are uncomfortable, nothing is graphic just for the sake of it.

kclark's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

This book had so much working in it's favor: queer female characters, queer author, friendships between women, Latin American lit... so it was a surprise this flat this fell to me. 

The language in the book is SO flowery that it is just exhausting, and I love flowery, poetic prose, but this was too much. It was as if the book was struggling to make itself more impressive but came off like a college student trying to say something profound on every page of the book. An example: "The water surrounded them, each wave sloshing forward with it's own wet, singular song, offering the pull of undertow and a brief respite from gravity." It would be fine, and perhaps effective, if this language was used sparingly, but it was constant. This propensity for the over embellished also has the effect of making the sex scenes seem like they were supposed to be sordid and poetic which made it feel like a cheesy romance.

The characters sometimes felt really well developed and crafted, but then immediately lose track of that character development and slip back into seemingly formulaic character archetypes.

Were I not reading this for a summer book bingo, I might have moved on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

qqjj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical trauma, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Death, and Confinement

wilful_wisp's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement

jennikreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Torture, Homophobia, Police brutality, Rape, Misogyny, Confinement, and Alcohol