Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

13 reviews

vixenreader's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Although it is a product of its time, it is still a pinnacle work in depicting the lives of Asian women, and it is a tender portrait of the deep pain and love that is shared among mothers and daughters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Pregnancy, War, Child death, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Ableism, Abortion, Antisemitism, Infertility, and Rape

Be warned that there is divorce, intergenerational trauma, unrealistic expectations for children, arranged marriage, polygamy, long lost sisters, and drowning of a child.

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

The chapters are essentially a compilation of short stories that help the reader come to a consensus reaction about the personal history and lives of these mothers and daughters. You experience their joys and struggles regarding the dynamics in their personal relationships. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Genocide, Classism, Suicide, Gore, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Child death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, War, Body shaming, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Ableism, Animal death, Infidelity, Murder, Racial slurs, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Slavery

Some of the triggers are overt, others are strongly suggested, perhaps in other countries in historical periods where long ago childhoods and family histories are elaborated on, in small country towns that could be called backward, clinging to old practices such as having a proper wife but also additional wives/concubines.

phantomgecko's review

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

This novel was about both interpersonal and intrapersonal complexity. Big fan of that. Also an enlightening look into Chinese (and Americanborn Chinese) culture. I actually liked the nonlinear and episodic narrative. The sections about early 1900s China were most interesting to me. 

It would have been easier for me to keep the characters straight if I'd been reading instead of listening, so rip to my understanding.

Serious question tho...in Chinese culture...is there such a thing as friends? None of these women liked each other. All competition and judgment all the time.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Death, Grief, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Rape

thomasina's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

melancholymegs's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Racism, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, Toxic relationship, War, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault

Minor: Car accident, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

betag1013's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, War, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Violence, Abandonment, Grief, Sexism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny

jelen's review

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, War, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Car accident, Pregnancy, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

ksuazo94's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Suicide

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, War, Racial slurs, and Pedophilia

Minor: Abortion and Emotional abuse

marissasa's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This book tells the stories of 4 immigrant Chinese women and each of their Chinese-American daughters. Although I like multiple POVs for the fact that they never get monotonous, they almost always end up with some characters being less developed or having less time focused on their stories, and that is definitely the case with this one. I enjoyed all the mothers' POVs and the look into their lives before they came to America, but honestly didn't think the daughters' stories matched them at all in how interesting and nuanced it made their situations. All the mothers had trauma relating to the loss of their children and families, marriage issues, being displaced from their homes, and their daughters' not understanding them. All of the daughters then had generational trauma, mommy issues, and a disconnect from their Chinese identities. The thing that made me dislike almost all of the daughters' stories was that except for Jing-mei, all of their POVs revolved around their troubles with their white husbands or boyfriends. The whole time I'm reading about them just thinking "free my sisters from the shackles of white men lmao". I wish they were given more depth and character development that was unrelated to their relationships with white men, or at least having just one character go through that so that the daughters' stories weren't so similar and forgettable. Jing-mei is the exception to this and I definitely thought her and her mother Suyuan's stories were the most memorable, and I do wish they had more time for their stories than they got. I did love the ending and how the story came full circle with the first and last chapter being Jing-mei's though, and the emotional conclusion felt satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Terminal illness, War, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Grief

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

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

5.0

a collection of stories about the Chinese American experience touching on immigration, generation gaps, sexism, racism, and more

really well written interesting stories

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Abandonment, and Sexism