Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

44 reviews

tzlumy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Confinement, Death of parent, and Trafficking

Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Animal death

illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Louise Erdrich is a master storyteller!! I love how she uses multiple points of view and blends elements of magical realism and things we can’t always see into the narrative. She creates a deep, rich setting which is highlighted by her characters. The characters she creates feel so real and I loved them all!! Every person I met in this book (and every other book I’ve read by her) felt like I could reach into the pages and shake their hand or run into them while getting coffee. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Rape, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

CW: discussion of indigenous boarding schools experience (moderate)

oproy's review

inspiring 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? No

3.0

I found the backdrop to the story extremely interesting and awe-inspiring. The plight of the Native Americans in the not so distant past is unfathomable, and this novel brings their stories to life.  And the entire idea of the termination bill and that people can just be used as chess pieces is a sad reality many face. 

However, rating just the novel, I did not enjoy. The way Erdrich intertwined magic/mysticism with the rest of the story sometimes confused me. I felt I had to finish it just to finish it, not because I enjoyed turning the page.  I understand that the point of Patrice is that she is coming of age emotionally while also having to take care of her family, but she was just unlikeable to me. 

I did find that the author’s way of leaving certain things to our own mind (Vera’s whereabouts, Parantau’s abuse) was well done. 


Overall, I did not enjoy but mostly because I felt like there was always something I was missing just beyond the grasp of my understanding. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

mializa_mk's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Alcoholism

livsoap's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book, especially how it drew on the authors own history. My one axe to grind is that my paperback copy I bought despite being new is absolutely littered with typos, as if it’s a proof copy, to the point where one of the chapter titles says “chapter title to come”. I’m thinking this must just be some bad luck of mine to pick up a copy with loads of printing errors but it did take me out of the story a bit quite a few times. But that’s just me being pernickety. I still loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

panoptican's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Grief, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Colonisation

Moderate: Pregnancy and Rape

Minor: Animal cruelty

beankels's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Very glad I read the book, it had a rich story and cast of characters. I wouldn’t say that I “couldn’t put this down” but the plot still brought me back. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Trafficking, Colonisation, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Alcoholism

maggies's review

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

2.0

Read for a book club and really struggled with this one. It was beautifully written. Erdrich is clearly a master. But the subject matter and composition were not my cup of tea. It was almost stream of consciousness, which is my absolute least favorite, and I found it very difficult to keep track of the many characters, especially as the POV switched to a new character basically by the chapter. I gave it an extra star because I learned a lot about termination, but overall, not for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Death of parent, Racism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

danimcthomas's review against another edition

hopeful informative slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, and Trafficking

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Confinement, Death, and Alcoholism

Some graphic depictions of sex trafficking

matcha_cat's review

informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

Minor: Kidnapping, Rape, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent