Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

A Very Private School by Charles Spencer

21 reviews

hollyking96's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

eclecticreadswithash's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

"If you loved me, you wouldn't leave me here" - Diana Spencer, future Princess of Wales 

While not from Charles directly, his sister's words certainly encompasses a lot of feelings around his boarding school experience at Maidwell Hall in the mid 1970s as a child. 

Filled to the brim with stories of his own experience and that of his peers, Spencer weaves together a horrifying portrait of his Maidwell schooldays. From bullying, to humiliation and corporal punishment from teachers, and sexual abuse from adults the children should have been able to trust, Spencer takes aim at the institution and the tradition of wealthy families to send young children away to boarding schools. 

Many times I had to put this book down and a take a breath. Many of the stories are grim and hard to read. They're quite graphic in description - as they should be to tell the whole truth. 

Spencer is a brilliant writer. Though difficult to read, it was also easy to read. I devoured it. It is most certainly one of the most powerful memoirs I've read. I would highly recommend it if you enjoy memoirs, like modern English history or even want a glimpse into some related to Princess Diana.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

camrynsbookshelf's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Vomit

squintyfarmer's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Vomit

violet_viper's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pedophilia

Minor: Self harm

hdhreads's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

jenjinks's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual violence

xxaprilmayxx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

frittata's review

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

The audiobook was heartbreaking to listen to. I'm grateful Charles Spencer interviewed and collected information from his peers, allowing their experiences to come to light. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Abandonment

caidyn's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

4.5

An emotional read on the trauma of British boarding schools and the abuse that ran rampant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault