Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Girls by Emma Cline

25 reviews

annasophie's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

3.25 - I liked the writing itself more than the story. I actually marked many phrases and passages because they stuck out to me, and I’m excited to explore more of Cline’s work. The setting was what drew me to the novel originally; there’s just something about 20th Century southern California, no matter the exact decade, that fascinates me. Truly one of my favorite geographical settings for stories, especially since I cannot think of one happy, non-depressing, non-messed up story set in Cali off the top of my hat. Somehow the Californian atmosphere just demands gloomy stories that palpably feel like inhaling the dark, heavy smog on a hot day in LA. 
The idea of taking the Manson Family and the infamous murder of Sharon Tate as starting point was also incredibly intriguing to me but I just couldn’t fully get into the plot. I guess I’m just not big on the pairing of little girls, drugs, sex, abuse and manipulation, even in a story that’s as intriguing as the Manson Family. I love the exploration of dark psychology, trauma, and all things, except when it involves underage girls. Maybe it’s because I watched the movie 13 when I was way too young and now I’m just over those stories. It’s a good book, it’s very well written, but it just wasn’t for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Body shaming

Minor: Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Self harm

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.

rachel_glenn's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

hannakutlu's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Murder, and Toxic relationship

poppyseedbagel's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Violence