Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

23 reviews

kri_29's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Blood, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

klsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

Wow, does Roshani Chokshi know how to write a beautiful sentence. You can really feel the world she crafted, which is no small feat as she jumps between whimsical and brutal realities. I love a coming of age story. I love a dark fairy tale. I love a personified house. I love a weird marriage with secrets. 

As always, check the TW's. There's nothing overly graphic, but plenty of unsettling, nasty things.

1 star docked because while this was stunningly beautiful and filled with fairy tale lore from around the world, the plot was quite slow and sometimes got lost in all the metaphors and similes. Because of that, I think it dragged and it took me a while to get through (though I am silly, silly busy right now). I'm a bit torn saying this, though, because I adored the character development in the backstory and am unsure if this could've been done at a faster pace. I wasn't as interested in the present-day story in the book, though the twists and turns hit some emotional slam-dunks. 

I will absolutely be reading more from Chokshi. Her writing is gorgeous! Highly rec if you like dark fairy tale, slow-burn, coming of age stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Dementia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, and Grief

stormeno's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

takarakei's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I can definitely see myself rereading this book. It's a bit of a fever dream on a first read, and knowing where it was going, I think it would make an interesting re-read. 

A story that weaves together between chapters in the past and present all surrounding the life of Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada, told from her husband's pov and her childhood friend in the past. Very atmospheric and character driven, the plot is really just the mystery of Indigo as a person being unraveled. Super creepy, eerie and unnerving at parts. Like being in a nightmare (but it's not horror persay). I found I really couldn't put it down! 

It's rather a hard book to describe, so if the synopsis sounds good I recommend you try it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

tamara_joy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Blood, and Medical content

paintedgiraffe's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

Wasn't expecting the purple prose -- good thing I love purple prose! -- but everything else is just what I expected. Death, freaky omens to do with animals, secret abuse. Everything was right on the money. A couple of parts did make me tear up.

BIG WARNING: All the relationships in this are toxic and are not to be envied/emulated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Classism

beccam22's review against another edition

5.0

This book is not what I was expecting by the pitch I’ve always been told. The marriage is not hinging on stories told by the wife and what he learns from her stories, she doesn’t tell her own story until the last chapter so why use that in marketing?

This book is about female friendship, the indescribable love of childhood friendship and the darker side of knowing someone so truly that you know every way to hurt them the most.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Classism

the two young girls mention only eating pure foods and not eating lunch but only snacks like an apple for lunch. They compare bodies in a few scenes. Azure has a step father who lusts over her more than her mother(his wife) and it is heavily implied that he imagines Azure while having sex with her mother because he can’t have her. There is also a scene where she is drugged, unconscious, naked on their bed and he is touching himself watching her while her friend takes a photo of him. Her mother is jealous of her daughter and leaves her while she is 18 but not yet graduated to be with him so the daughter can’t “tempt” him. The husband was abused as a child and his brother died but he was told he never had a brother, the mother removed photos and they gaslight him into believing he made up his brother to the point that he thinks he is the only one who remembers him so surly he must be in fairy. He is able to remember what happened to his brother but it is not explored as much as I would have liked, it was very much a side-side plot. In the end it is revealed that indigo has been azure since graduation, indigo died technically by an accident but she was plotting their suicides for years. Azure then is able to take indigos identity until her husband reveals the truth and stays with her to learn her story. Hence “indigo” being the flower bride until he is able to really learn who azure is.

philly37898's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Pedophilia and Violence

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, and Classism

wishbea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Context:
I borrowed The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi from my local library through the Libby app.

 

Review:

As someone who hates fairytales and dislikes romance, I was skeptical about a book billed as a gothic fairytale about a marriage. I became even more skeptical when confronted with the flowery, lush prose that placed me at a distance from the characters and their motivations. I am so glad I kept reading, however, because The Last Tale of the Flower Bride absolutely won me over. 

For me, the heart of this story is the tale of the friendship between Azule and Indigo. Within this story, it becomes clear that Chokshi’s constant references to fairytales and her lush prose serve a purpose, which is to creatively and compellingly paint a portrait of an incredibly codependent female friendship. I am blown away by Chokshi’s originality as she approaches a storyline that could have easily been a trite thriller or melodrama from a place of compassion, empathy, and true artistry. 

 

Given how much I love the chapters exploring Azule and Indigo’s friendship, I am less enthralled with the chapters from the Bridegroom’s perspective. Although they contain moments of beauty and clarity, I think they serve as unnecessary padding. I believe The Last Tale of the Flower Bride would be a more effective and powerful story if these chapters did not exist, and we instead remained immersed in the story’s central plotline. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The Last Tale of the Flower Bride if . . . 

·      You are looking for a unique take on toxic female friendships and codependency

·      You love fairytales and folklore (but even if you don’t, give it a try!)

 

You might not like The Last Tale of the Flower Bride if . . .

·      You can’t stand flowery prose, no matter how it serves the story

·      You go into the book expecting a romance (seriously, I think this book is mismarketed)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Alcohol, and Classism