Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

44 reviews

aoifereadsbooks69's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Vomit

raisinflakies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

_shonahenderson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Classism

euphemia's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

this is gonna send me into some state but the writing. please, yes.

when shuggie let his mum die because he gave up the hope that she'd change?? goodbye, i jumped out several windows

 

maybe the singular issue i saw here is the scottish slang. like, it's realistic but still it took me a while to get the hang of it and i even resorted to a glossary of slang i found online. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Minor: Racial slurs, Blood, and Religious bigotry

katiehuntington's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

laner's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

lucykateburns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

I really don't know what to make of it all. I don't have much experience with alcoholism but, being from Glasgow, I am well aware that it is a problem in the city. It goes without saying that it made Agnes a very dislikable character and despite the author's efforts to make us sympathise with her, I found it difficult to like her. I especially didn't like her air of superiority, nor that she valued herself as better than other women for having 'pride' in her looks. I hated that she tried to embody the role of the good wife, but I also can't blame her for longing for what society says women should strive to be and do. The sexual violence suffered by the character was difficult to read, although it didn't go into much detail, and I felt that it was brushed past too easily. Too many traumatic events happened that could have been delved into further but weren't (I mean the aftermath, not the actual events...). That goes for some of the things that happened to Shuggie too.

On the contrast, it was hard not to love Shuggie. I don't know how to sum him up. What child doesn't love their mother? It's hard to grow up and accept that they aren't the heroes you once thought them to be. Parents can be very flawed people and, as in Shuggie's case, so flawed that there is nothing you can do to help them. The whole book felt like a journey into Shuggie's letting go of his mum, he couldn't keep her here for him. I think ultimately letting her go was the best he could have done.

In this sense, the theme of recurring self-harm and inability to recover reminded me of A Little Life, and both share similar endings in this regard. The tragic comparison between Leanne's mother and Shuggie's is something to comment on, but I won't go too much into it. Essentially, it just shows the possible paths alcoholism can lead a woman down, neither of which are positive. For this reason, I think the book has a very depressing overall tone to it, there isn't a fairytale ending but sometimes that is the reality of things. Clearly this was never entirely Agnes' fault, but in the world we live in she didn't have much choice. Eugene must feel eternal guilt.

It is difficult to finish the book and not know where Shuggie ends up, or what exactly the outcome of the journey with his sexuality will be, but I am comforted with his friendship with Leanne. I hope they both find love and happiness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and Gaslighting

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

stripedcreature's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

the best book i have read in a long time. it completely destroyed me but i haven't found myself as emotionally invested in a book as much as in this one for years. the characters are portrayed in such a detailed yet natural way that really makes you feel like you've known them for years - suffering with them, knowing about their struggles, being angry with them and just wanting to hold them. Content warning fpr literally everything tho!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sam_w_r's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail