Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Ophelia Girls by Jane Healey

10 reviews

bootrat's review

emotional reflective sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Suicide

bek_p87's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

I couldn't quite pin down why exactly this book was set in 1973/1997, and the inexplicability and lack of necessity of that affected my enjoyment of the story. However, if that were my only qualm, I'd probably have been able to push it aside - unfortunately, it was not. There were so many loose endings that weren't fleshed out, new plot points being added in place of old ones being explained, not to mention (although I guess I'm about to) some truly wild and disastrous decisions by mother and daughter alike. I really wanted to like this, but it was only okay. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Cancer, War, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent

em_daydreaming's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism and Death

Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Self harm, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Vomit

gen_wolfhailstorm's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Details:
Narrated by Alix Dunmore
Unabridged

This was haunting and unexpectedly ... sensual... I don't know if that's the right word, exactly, but I wasn't expecting how much I'd be taken in with the beauty of the water and dense heat of summer compared to the innocent exploration of girlhood and how nostalgic that felt for me. Yet, in contrast, how this sweet and pure theme was manipulated in the present scenes and used to the advantage of an older and trusted character. It was uncomfortable but I couldn't stop reading.

In tone, this kind of gave me the Paper Palace vibes, and that makes me want to revisit that title because I had previously dnf'd it.

I loved how haunting the time period and season felt, which isn't a word I would usually use to describe summer and the 70s at all, but there was this whole heavy atmosphere that was rich in melancholy and the gothic and although it wasn't a thriller, there was such a dense layer of suspense and tension at every turn.

Depending on Maeve or Ruth's perspective, it was interesting how warped the mother or daughter's voice sounded to the perspective. As the reader, it was fascinating to see how the other viewed the others actions, justified their own, etc.

I feel like the fall out happened a bit too close to the end. I wanted the fall out to happen sooner so we could see more of the direct consequences span out, but I enjoyed that we got to see more long term scenarios, which felt like more closure than I was expecting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt

larade's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexism, Infertility, and War

angrybookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was honestly a little disappointed by this book. I really liked the concept but it took me a longggggg time to care about the characters at all. I felt like I couldn't relate to either of them very much until about halfway through the book. A lot of Maeve's character felt like it was made more complicated than it needed to be for these things to happen. I have no idea why her having been ill as a child was important to her story at all. I hated Stuart from the very first time he was mentioned and I was right. I wish the ending was more satisfying because once we got into the very real complications of these characters and I started to think they were interesting, they just wrapped everything up and everything was "okay" in the end without anyone actually doing anything to get there. I do think it's a good book, I just wanted more out of these characters because I think they deserved it.

I also really think they should have drowned Stuart in the river at the end. It would have been satisfying

Though, I do wonder if maybe the reason the ending wasn't satisyfing is because it was a realistic ending. That is kind of how those things tend to go and I think a lot of my wishing is that I was in Maeve's position once and I wish someone had

DROWNED HIM

instead of just not doing anything about it really. The mom deserved better, too. Stuart deserved worse. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Death, and Terminal illness

Minor: War, Homophobia, and Sexual violence

236girls's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.75

oh jeez oh where do i begin... i loved the writing! it was beautiful and atmospheric but oh i wish so badly this leaned towards the queer ladies more than the grooming but both parts were written well so i didn't like. HATE reading it but some parts were more hard to stomach than others. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Cancer

Moderate: Death and Homophobia

eleanor_rose22's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

2.0

I’ve got really mixed views. I wanted to love this so much and I spent so much time hating it. 
I loved Ruth, I loved her playful girlhood and frivolous youth and her feelings towards Camille and the way her repressed identity haunts her until she can be free. I wanted/needed so much better for her. 
Maeve?!? Pure Hate. The fact she was half the book was awful. Her boyfriend is a nonce, predator. I was furious how their relationship was mirrored to the ‘forbidden’ queer feelings of R&C. The pedophilia was so romanticised and disgusting. Hated the ending.
Gave me so much to think about in terms of male gaze/enforced objectivity of ones self through a camera etc. But plot wise it did not live up to expectations . 
Also why did it have all my most obscure triggers in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Homophobia and Cancer

olivia02strom's review against another edition

2.0

Wish I was aware of the heavy grooming plot line ahead of time...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Cancer, and Death

Minor: Infidelity and Infertility

rcsreads's review

dark medium-paced

• 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? Yes

1.5

A large part of this is just paedophile porn. There's no need for the inappropriate relationship to be gone into with so much detail. 
The mother's side of the story would have been enough although it has some unpleasant, outdated and homophobic opinions expressed. The daughters story is actively disgusting and romanticised paedophilia. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Outing