Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

27 reviews

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

kellyung's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

calais_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-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

3.75

I thought this book was good but just CANNOT do age differences 😫 this man was 20 years her senior! Leonardo DiCarpiroass can leave.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

ganderson's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

2.5

Best summed up in its own words: "it often seemed nothing very much was happening in [the story] until something startling and ireconsilable did." Very poignant, incredibly intense. The discussions of addiction are handled very well, but huge trigger warnings if you or someone you love is in active addiction. 

Edit: after thinking more for a few months I'm bumping this down. I was in too much shock at the ending to address it at the time, but...

I think Quentin was incredibly hard done by as a character. The absolute shock transition into meth addiction blew my mind and completely shook me. I think that might be because I found this book through searching for LGBT books, and the book description particularly focuses on Quentin gender identity - for that to be a very, very minor story line and for Quentin's character to be given such a dark ending. I also felt similar about Frank's sister, who's story line of entering a sugar baby/daddy relationship didn't have fruition until the end of the novel despite being another central part of the book description. It felt misleading, and very much in Quentin's case like a 'bury your gays' trope that I've sat uncomfortably with for a while now. I really don't recommend this book on those themes at all.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Transphobia, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Infidelity, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Self harm

serenarg's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

2.0

interesting but not worth the countless mental health triggers!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Transphobia, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

kayolay's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Self harm, Infidelity, Abandonment, Mental illness, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fatphobia, Drug use, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Alcoholism, and Addiction

nosophiesallowed's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

i’m nosy, therefore i loved reading this.
didn’t feel emotionally connected to the characters though which explains the 4 star rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death of parent and Body shaming