Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

11 reviews

katierosecrane's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

It took me a lot longer to finish this book. Not because it was bad, but because it was so much to digest. There are dark scenarios which I had to process. Good book but not an easy read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Mental illness, Gore, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Murder, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Addiction, Rape, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

quinn24's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Told from the POV of Astrid Magnussen, daughter of a manipulative poet who is imprisoned early in the story for the murder of an ex-lover. The story follows Astrid through her various foster homes for the next 6 years as she grows and tries to escape her mother’s grip. 
This book was written in such a beautiful way there were so so many quotes I underlined. There wasn’t really anything that I could  personally relate to but it almost felt like I understood at times. There were moments where it was kinda boring but that’s almost always how it is when a book follows someone’s life. The N-slur is used a couple times and while every time it is used it’s clear that it’s not a good thing to call someone (it’s used by a terrible, racist character) it’s obviously still not great for a white women to be writing it. Overall though it was really a fascinating meditation on a very complex mother-daughter relationship

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Murder, and Vomit

Minor: Ableism

sizzlesteaks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death, and Blood

Minor: Bullying

averagereadin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

solid, but at some point it’s just the same all over again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Racism, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape

reesespuff6's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Medical content, Alcohol, Cursing, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Racism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Self harm

raisinreads's review

dark emotional

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I don't know what to rate this book bc parts were quite well written but also judging by the way many parts were written i don't think i like the author as a person 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Suicide, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual assault, Rape, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Xenophobia, Sexism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying

hellothereforeitsalex's review

dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

A well executed story that deals with heavy topics with ease and weaves the trails and tribulations of main character Astrid’s coming of age story alongside the passage time.

⚠️READ TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Suicide

danirc_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

beautiful prose backed by a plot of self destruction 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Murder, Grief, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Death

Minor: Medical content

possiblymaybe's review against another edition

sad

• Loveable characters? No

the beginning of this novel raised my hopes, i was really expecting a great read. then the story continued and was just irritating. if it was edited to half the length and actually given a decent development and ending to the story, it would be a good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, and Gaslighting

hannakutlu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, and Pregnancy