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Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
87 reviews
codyboteler's review
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Animal death
Minor: Alcoholism
xeniba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
It felt very “white women’s tears” and of course the person who ended up taking charge and doing the dirty work was the one Black character.
I get that it’s probably supposed to be about the patriarchy and racism and gentrification, but I really don’t need to read about that from a white dude. I definitely will not be reading anymore of his books.
This was my first fiction audiobook and I did enjoy the narrator, so that’s something.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexism, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization
eden_briar's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Gore, Medical trauma, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty
kelseymcg20's review against another edition
- 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
1.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Classism, Blood, Rape, Death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Murder, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcoholism
josalinreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There’s commentary in the novel regarding sexism, classism, and racism, all of which is handled with different levels of nuance and care, but overall I think Hendrix does a good job. Lots of disturbing scenes, so I recommend looking at the content warnings if you are prone to triggers.
The final vampire scene was pretty lackluster compared to earlier scenes in the book and the vampires powers are not very consistent. I also would have preferred more comeuppance for some of the antagonists of the novel. More bloodshed would have made for a better vampire novel, in my opinion.
Overall, true 4/5 for me.
Graphic: Misogyny, Gore, Sexual assault, Murder, Gaslighting, and Rape
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Suicide, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, Dementia, and Forced institutionalization
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Patricia's son spends the majority of the book unhealthily attached to WW2 and Nazism. All he talks about prior to
There are 2 notably gory scenes. One involves rats and features dog vs rats violence and also rats snapping at the two people involved like a stereotypical school of piranha. I was not at all pleased to read about the snapping of necks and chunks taken out. The other gory scene is at the end of the book and I won't spoil it. If you can handle the rat scene you will be able to handle this scene too. It is slightly more 'meat processing' than medical. One other scene that is a bit intense is
I did not appreciate how the majority of the victims were children, especially at the reveal that the bite creates a sexual euphoria that leads to addiction. This is described in detail for two characters, one who is an adult and the other who is in their late teens or early twenties.
Just about all the male characters embodied stereotypes and were as present in the story as they were in their kids' lives. They either drank, beat their wives, had an abusive amount of control over their wives, or gaslit the ever-loving joy out of their wives.
The book club are all fair-weather friends. The husbands band together to gaslight and call Patricia crazy and despite the proof they had in their hands at the time, all of the rest of the book club agree. Then at the end while four are struggling in the fight against evil one of the others shows up like she is the saving grace, despite doing next to nothing to help for the entire book. By the end all the surviving book club members seem to still be meeting up as if all were normal. There was small implication that something is going on with the dog, Patricia, and her daughter but it may have been meant as a 'some wounds never heal' kind of thing.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Rape, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual assault, Child death, Gaslighting, Suicide, Antisemitism, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Racism, Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Dementia, Death, and Classism
Minor: Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Several characters are stated to have committed suicide in minor detail. One character attempts, also in minor detail.addysubtracty's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Racism, Sexism, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Rape, Child death, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Dementia, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault
multiplyoctopi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Dementia, Death of parent, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Pedophilia, Vomit, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Police brutality, Alcoholism, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
camo_mila's review against another edition
- 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
The ending wasn't my fave too, not that it was bad or anything, but not as interesting I guess, I expected more of the ending. But I had a enjoyable time so no regrets
Also fyi having sexist and racist characters on a book doesn't mean by proxy that the book is that, even more when it's fully criticizing the characters for it, all the damn time.
Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, Gore, Violence, Pedophilia, Murder, Suicide, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism
cde10's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Dementia, Gore, and Rape
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse