Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

26 reviews

tarnya_smith's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

5.0

This book is the perfect book for me and I loved it. 

We follow Cleo and Frank who meet and quickly marry. He's much older, successful and an alcoholic and Cleo is a young English artist who is seduced by his charm. We follow their relationship, their friends, family and life as it changes. 

This was beautifully written with so many tender moments. I listened to the audiobook and immediately bought the physical copy after so I can sit and go through tabbing all the moments I want to remember. 

As a modern romance story with some very dark themes, this is still easy listening, fun in parts and honestly raw in others. It's been compared to Sally Rooney and I agree but would say this felt well rounded and darker, like the 18 rated version of Conversation with Friends. 

An author to keep an eye on in the future for me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Self harm, Body shaming, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Drug use

kathshiroma's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Body shaming, Addiction, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual violence

Minor: Sexual assault and Fatphobia

Lovely writing and beautifully nuanced characters. But it is so obvious when going into POCs’ POVs that the author is white. The conversation between POC characters, specifically the one between a Japanese man and a Black woman, are especially uncomfortable to read. There is also a chapter that focuses on a character’s weight loss journey, with many comments and themes that can be harmful. An overall gorgeous book, but another example of it being better for authors to either be more careful or to simply write what they know.

cle1862's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Liked how real the characters felt but i didn't like them very much. Felt a little pretentious at times but maybe that was the point. Maybe would have felt better if the protagonist didn't seem to have so many similarities to the author in physical description and career trajectory. I did enjoy the writing though. Spin-off about Zoe would be cool. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death of parent, Blood, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexual content

dilarasnr's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Transphobia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

desireewoodwhite's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Blood, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Sexism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Animal death, and Adult/minor relationship

auteaandtales's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Sexual content, Self harm, Misogyny, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, and Drug use

Minor: Animal death, Racism, Body shaming, and Animal cruelty

tilly0498's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

1.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Animal death, Homophobia, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Blood, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Addiction, and Classism

josxphinchen's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Sexism, Animal cruelty, and Death

pabi's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

Witty and just absolutely brilliant. A lovely story capturing the human experience, the inevitable heartbreaks that lead to the endless love you are also bound to recieve and show to yourself and finding solace in the knowledge that "wherever you are going,it is waiting for you" . 

 Coco mellors may you live an exceptionally good life because you've made mine better with this masterpiece. 

Ps. Can't wait for the tv series adaptation I'm screamingggg it's going to be so good
 (If not there's always the book hehehe)
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Infidelity, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, and Drug use

Moderate: Death of parent

goldseamedglass's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

This was like reliving my 20s in a way. I felt so ambivalent about every character the same way I felt about my own close friends during that time. That impressed me but what really astounded me was how realistic the conversations and especially the arguments were. How the disagreement comes in waves. How a lull would, in most books, be the moment when the characters turn it around and make amends, but in real life, and in this book, instead turn into a hint at something unresolved that simply sends tensions soaring again. Superbly well written! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Animal death, Transphobia, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Fatphobia