Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

268 reviews

ptara's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Murder, and Racism

Minor: Emotional abuse and Incest

suzylit's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious slow-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

3.75

I could have given this novel a higher rating if the pace had been a bit faster. The atmosphere and the characters are well built. Suspense and mystery are indeed present, yet there are a des lengthy passages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Gore, Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Dementia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Islamophobia

lizzym126's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Classism, Addiction, Grief, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Murder, Cursing, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Physical abuse, and Gun violence

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

omfg. donna tartt is my mother. she’s insane for this.  holy SHIT!!! every single word was a vital part of this novel–down to the damn syllable. she has perfected the art of writing. the pacing of the book was magnificent and the characterization was stellar. every moment was so VIVID! her word choice was so perfect in every sense and every sentence and paragraph and piece of dialogue flowed so perfectly throughout the entire novel. her use of prose is so …entertaining? idk how to describe her writing but it’s everything i ever needed and more. she created a plot so full and detailed that i have no qualms at all; everything was perfectly laid out and set into place. this is the longest review i’ve written BY FAR. 

okay FIRST OF ALL, the INCEST? mawma i was floored. and camilla refusing to marry richard because she was in love with henry…girl please. be so real. henry’s death was fucking insane. every second of that encounter starting from charles barreling through the door to henry’s body hitting the ground was insane. AND THEN we find out that marion married one of bunny’s brothers!!!!!! stfu!!! and they had a baby!!! and the family decided to nickname it BUNNY. IM SORRY?! and when i read that letter that francis sent to richard my heart STOPPED. i would’ve been so mad at donna had she killed him off istg. he’s my one and only i love him far too much. good god this book. I JUST REMEMBERED the entire ritual that they had? oh my god!!!! donna!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Classism, Drug use, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Suicide, Violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Confinement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Stalking

Minor: Ableism, Fatphobia, Rape, Cancer, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

sskalon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.75

I wish people understood this book for what it is, a satire. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug use, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Incest, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, and Death

c1nega's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Body horror, Classism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Incest, and Islamophobia

kelseyr713's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I appreciated this on a technical level, but there is so little happening (in terms of plot) from page to page and it’s just not what I’m looking for in the contemporary books I read. I love this level of detail in science fiction or fantasy or speculative novels, but I don’t think it’s necessary here.

It definitely made the English Literature major part of my brain light up again though. I was thinking about essay topics as I read (the amount of character analysis alone…)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Murder, Classism, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Xenophobia, Drug use, Abandonment, Incest, Blood, Car accident, Antisemitism, Racism, Rape, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Medical content, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Violence

micromedbh's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Death, Classism, Homophobia, Murder, Addiction, Cursing, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

myorareraa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I have to say that I went into this thinking it was "dark-academia-fun" but in it's first spin it was 1. true crime, 2. commiting crimes on a daily basis, 3. Incest, 4. sudden romance, 5. "betrayal?" 6. more death and at it's peak, homophobic and simultaneously, homosexual. 
I love this book, and I hate myself for loving it. 
A lot of people say, that the writing is too dense. It really isnt!!!! It feels like any person with a degree in English could have written this AND THAT IS THE CHARM BC THE NARRATOR IS A PERSON WITH AN ENGLISH MAJOR. 
The writing felt real and I did sometimes forget that this book is fictional bc of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicide, Drug use, Murder, Death, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gore, Cursing, Homophobia, Incest, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Sexual assault

itsapollo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.75

We're dealing with a story whose cast of characters are every one of them morally gray. Questioning morality and the fluctuations of one's own moral compass throughout various traumatic self inflicted circumstances. It's wildly fascinating. A tragedy where everyone loses. Where the product of their own choices may perhaps become punishment enough for the characters transgressions. The writing of this story is so intricately woven while at the same time only showing us the view from one Richard

"the bystander which I so essentially am"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Gore, Murder, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicide, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Antisemitism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Sexual violence