Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

17 reviews

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

beebeewin's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I had been wanting to read this book for awhile and it surpassed my expectations! I loved the way all the stories were woven together as it made this cohesive and yet diverse perspective for understanding these women. The mothers' mysterious and untold stories drew me in and I could relate to the daughters trying to understand their moms. The interplay of all the women's American and Chinese identities created fraught but emotionally powerful stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast but fantastic read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

counciloffrogs's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

5.0

This reflection on mother-daughter relationships and the turmoil they can experience is beautifully written. It clearly shows the humanity of families and the shortcomings and misinterpretations that can complicate relationships. I absolutely loved this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Abortion

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Grief

Minor: Suicide and War

readerette's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

While this story and the characters are not always pleasant, they feel very real. I was touched by the weaving of the mothers' and daughters' stories, how American culture bled into the lives of all the characters, the struggles of being an immigrant and a parent (and how individual each set of struggles is). Relatable and also informative on aspects of a culture I'm not that familiar with.

That said, the weaving of the characters' stories did get muddy for me, I didn't get enough about the Joy Luck Club itself, and all of these people supposedly friendly with one another could be incredibly petty and cruel to their "friends". Perhaps I'm just leading with my white American eye on that last part though--friendship looks different to different people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual violence, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and War

cammiem8's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

While I’m not a fan of the vignette style generally, Tan’s prose made this the best application of that style that I’ve read. Each chapter is a very human story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Abandonment

tonimmarie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

This made me cry a lot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, and Grief

Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

sallytiffany's review

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

 
The storyline was interesting and it had wonderful characters. However, the story was very disjoined due to all the switching which made it hard to follow. I like how poetic the book was at times and I certainly learned more about Chinese culture, just the layout of the book made it difficult to get the message. Also, not thrilled about the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Abortion, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Murder