Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

166 reviews

nimeneth's review against another edition

Probably a minority here, but I just didn't like it.

The book is a tale of misery and bizarre characters, and that would be fine if the writing was engaging. Unfortunately it's not - it's a lot of summary, very minimal dialogue, and the changes in the characters are superficial and revert relatively quickly. I wound up skimming the last 40 pages I "read" because it just wasn't engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

melindacraig87's review against another edition

Sad and heavy. It's very emotional, with a ton to process. Definitely well written, but not the type of escapism I seek when reading. I do think the story shows hard truths and creates provocative thoughts on class, politics, and historical patterns. All of those issues should be thought about, and this book does that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Violence

felkyo_grey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

angelaf's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective 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

3.0

The House of the Spirits was an experience. I am glad I read it, but it was a lot. I loved the magical realism, but more telling than showing and the lack of dialogue made it drag. However, it did pique my interest in reading more South American authors and learning more about South American history. Read if you enjoy: magical realism, multi-generational sagas, women in translation

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

emily_madcharo's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cocheesereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexism, Torture, and Violence

heytherekhalyla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

brieep2001's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, Abortion, and War

Moderate: Animal death

ednareads's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Incest and Torture

Minor: Homophobia