Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

209 reviews

stormbringer52's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

• 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

This book is a really tough read and took me a long time to finish. However, it was worth it. It made me incredibly uncomfortable in some parts, but that was the point. Ruth Ozeki did a wonderful job of representing unsettling topics in a way that felt real and disturbing. I found myself nervous to turn the page at times, worried what would happen next.

Brief spoiler for the end, but

it didn't make a lot of sense to me. I liked it, but it did feel a little out of nowhere. Granted, there were slight magical elements throughout, like how things that Ruth saw online suddenly disappeared, or Naoko conversing with her deceased great uncle. I suppose the end of the book meant to sort of explain why things were happening, but it kind of lost me honestly.

However, I still thing the book was beautifully written, so this does not impact my opinion much :]

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, War, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Cancer, Blood, and Grief

noiraet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

this book made me grow

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide attempt

sestout's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death

cb1984's review against another edition

dark hopeful 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

4.0

The concept was really interesting, and I always wanted to read the next chapter. But I did feel like it lost me a bit in the last 50 pages, when it just got very weird. I figured that there was something weird going on, and I feel like having sat and thought about it for a while I think I understood what was going on. But it was just a bit jarring.

All in all: very good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Fatphobia

stw07's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Rape

shoob3's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

hannaemilia's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape, War, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Minor: Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Dementia

triciabee's review against another edition

5.0

A lot of books make cry, this book made be ball. I love this book. I want to hold it close to my heart. Though the content warnings are pretty major. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Dementia

sdaeryamlirpa's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, War, and Trafficking

maidinnah's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-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

A Tale for the Time Being is an ode to the superpowers of literature — the power to connect souls across time and space, to create worlds of possibilities, and to instill comfort in moments of unknowing. The alternating perspectives of the troubled Nao and the contemplative Ruth (who may or may not be the author herself) created a novel that was equally zen as it is charming, meta as it is human. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content