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Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
359 reviews
ladychubb'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Gaslighting, Self harm, Classism, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Violence, Death, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
ohheyash's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Blood, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, and Rape
ahyshia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicide
aelis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death and Blood
thisbookrox's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
tiudragonfly's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Classism, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Toxic relationship, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
editorsansserif's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
General overview: A book that is, actually, about a vampire, though not in the way you might expect - pitted against a community and a group of women (the 'book club') who are deeply flawed and fail several times, at a great cost, before finding the courage to do what is right. Strong themes of racism, sexism/misogyny, and child predation.
Emotional impact: I loved this book, despite not being able to love its characters. The main cast, and protagonist, are flawed, sometimes very deeply. They do show growth over time, while many of the side cast do not (or deteriorate), and it works - but they never truly become heroes. I spent a lot of reading time being angry and incensed, not toward the villain, but toward the main characters of the book, and the families that surrounded them. I feel like that's part of "the point."
Visceral impact: The body horror, and gore, did make my skin crawl, but never felt explicit enough to make me want to stop reading. The author sometimes went a little 'over the top' with the terrible events that happened in the novel, to the point of unbelievability and disgust. Spoilers/CW for child death:
Counter thoughts to some criticism:
- On the 'Stepford wife' nature of these wives and mothers in the 1990s: I found this not only believable, but incredibly realistic. I grew up in the 90s with a southern-trained mother and a southern grandmother, and around many families who had the same 'sensibilities' drilled into them. The way that these women acted in the book felt like a genuine flashback to what it felt like growing up around women who played pleasantries and kowtowed to men and never wanted to disturb the status quo. While I can see why they might not come off as believable to those who haven't experienced what I have, I felt it was authentic. CW (suicide/minor spoilers):
My mother didn't protect me from the predator in my own family, and she dismissed my earnest pleas for help when I was battling depression and suicide as a teenager. My father always knew what was best to the point he'd become threatening if he was questioned. They wouldn't have protected me from a vampire. - On the misogyny: See above - this felt very real to me thanks to my own lived experiences. Of course there are good men. It's just that none of these husbands were good men. It would have been nice to have a good man join the women to counter the culture around them - one husband who really did believe his wife and didn't fall for the trap - and that does feel like a disservice. I can also see that the author was trying to really lean in to the power of women and their shared bonds, so it could be a tricky balance to find while keeping the message the same.
- On the racism and racist stereotypes: As a white person, I can't and won't speak to representation of the POC in the novel. I do feel, however, that the quiet racism that was expressed by the white women in the book was genuine and called into question several times. These white women do not ever go through a full anti-racist transformation, but they are confronted and, I believe, do make some steps of growth. We're never shown anything more than a reckoning with their unspoken attitudes and the result of those actions, though.
- On animal death: I thought that the final animal death scene was touching, actually, and made both sense rationally and plot-wise. That's not for everyone though: if you don't like pets dying, you're going to hate that portion of the book.
Additional criticism: Addressed in my content warnings, but there is a side plot during which the main character's son is becoming increasingly obsessed with Hitler + Nazis. This isn't treated seriously at all by the characters in the novel and is not resolved by the end of the book. This should have either been dropped or handled with more severity, and that's a major lack of sensitivity to the implications the author adds with this plot element.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Classism, Racism, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, Dementia, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Addiction, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Antisemitism
Re: Antisemitism:mermaidstories'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
2.5
Another thing i take issue with is the
If not for the aforementioned issues, I probably would have rated this story a 3.75. In terms of conveying how thankless it is to be a housewife, i’d say Grady did well with doing so in a realistic way for the most part. Although i do wish there would have been more of a resolution with
Otherwise, the dynamic between the women of the book club seemed very authentic. They’re moments of anger, betrayal, misunderstandings, but also a strong friendship overall. They cared for and understood each other, flawed as they all were. i feel like he did well with showing the facets of their friendship. so overall, i give it a 2.5.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Animal death, Dementia, Gaslighting, and Gore
Moderate: Dementia, Racism, Death, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
mxcaswell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, Murder, Body horror, Racism, and Animal cruelty
krholin's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Misogyny, Gore, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Pedophilia, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual violence