Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

The Girls by Emma Cline

7 reviews

kaitidid'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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Excrement

cosycourtney's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

When I saw this at the library I had to get it and I’m so glad I read it after years of having it on my reading radar. I knew it was about a cult but was shocked when the details were familiar and I realized it mirrored the Manson Family cult. I was so intrigued by the perspective and love when typically male centered stories are retold centering the female POV. I found Evie’s character sooo interesting and loved the way Cline illustrated the way induction into cults or cult like communities is so easy yet complex at the same time. I wonder how everyone else feels but I felt like Suzanne was protecting Evie the whole time. I think it is stated that, that would be the easy way to think of it but I still think in some regard it’s true. Overall, the novel was enthralling, intrigued and wildly unique. I also borrow Daddy from the library so I’m very keen to read that over the coming weeks too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The first couples pages of the book were over-the-top flowery language, and I wasn't sure if I was going to stick around, but it calmed down a little bit. I think the strongest parts were the descriptions of the very challenging time of pre-teen/early teenager-dom, when girls are really trying to just figure out how they fit into the world. I did not like the use of "Asiatic" to describe childlike banter - that feels.... not right and insulting to Asian languages. Just really unnecessary. I'm not sure if I'd read this author again because I might just not be able to get on her level of stuffed sentences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Drug use, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gore, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, and Excrement

Minor: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

terrabby's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

No lo he odiado pero me lo habían hypeado mucho y me ha dejado bastante indiferente. El tema sectas me interesa más bien poco y tampoco creo que la parte psicológica que sería la más interesante se desarrolle demasiado. Parece un poco un collage de escenas morbosas con un toque de coming of age que en realidad para mi gusto es la única parte que vale la pena de la novela. Mucha gente dice que no le gusta la voz de Evie pero a mi me ha parecido bien, solo me hubiese gustado que me contase una historia diferente. Las partes de adulta me sobraban muchísimo. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Animal death, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Blood, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

reneetrinket's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Hate crime, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

yeolliesutr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Pedophilia

Minor: Sexism, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Excrement

grboph's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This was the first book I finished in 2022, and it was a very good one!! I have been very fascinated with cults recently, and this was a good deviation from a lot of the nonfiction things I have been using to learn about them (the cult in this book is clearly based on the Manson Family). Emma Cline is a wonderful writer, and it is somewhat hard to believe that this was the first book she ever wrote. I found Evie to be a very interesting character, and I think she had a good arc. The thing I liked the most about this book was that Evie felt very relatable, which was nice for me since I hadn't really encountered many teenage-girl characters like that in adult novels before. Then that scared me a little because I realized that maybe I could have fallen into something like Evie did if I had found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time when I was that age. I don't know if this was something Cline did on purpose, but either way, it made the book all the more thought-provoking. Overall, The Girls was a unique and engaging book and I enjoyed every second I spent reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cults or the 1960s as a time period, or anyone looking to read a unique story of any kind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Cursing, Excrement, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Bullying, Confinement, and Blood

This is a book about a violent, manipulative cult that culminates with a relatively graphic description of the murders of four people, one of whom is a young child. Also, the whole reason that the main character is drawn into the cult in the first place is because of someone she has an obsession with who is quite manipulative and cruel.