Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

12 reviews

adventurous

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lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I loved the film where Rik Mayall voiced Toad of Toad Hall growing up as a child. As an adult it was lovely to read The Wind in The Willows as an adult.

It is a product of its time, with some of the remarks and observations made by the animals not always being appropriate in 2024. But the overall theme of the importance of friendship is a great thing for children to continue to hear about today.

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

First time reading this since I was a child and it was so cosy and the perfect read for the beginning of spring.

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character

I never read this book as a kid, and read it more now to finally get around to it rather than because I necessarily thought it would be massively my thing, but I completely unexpectedly absolutely loved it. I actually think I enjoyed it a lot more now than I would have when I was younger, though of course it's impossible to stay for sure. It's got the perfect mix of cosy and wholesome vibes on the one hand, and sense of danger and adventure on the other. I adored the focuses on friendship and on bettering yourself, and I adored the prominent role nature played and all the brilliant descriptions.

There is unfortunately some misogyny and fatphobia that comes through, and while I can appreciate the context of when this was written, it still doesn't make for an enjoyable reading experience in that aspect and I still think it's important to view critically. Separately, I also found that, while the pacing is generally good, there's a bit of a 'time jump' towards the end that didn't quite work for me. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this overall, and I'm so glad that I finally got to this book; I can absolutely see why it's such a classic and why it's stood the test of time.

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challenging slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: N/A

 
Despite this being a classic, this book was not for me. The writing was long-winded, rambly, unbearably slow—way too much fluff. It never engaged me and my mind constantly wandered. 


Then, as if I needed another reason to dislike the book, the character of Toad was frustratingly arrogant, misogynistic and fatphobic. 


Just yuck. There was nothing redeeming about this book for me. 

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adventurous hopeful
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My dad read this to me when I was little, though I didn't remember it at all. I was disappointed that there wasn't much plot, and there was quite a bit of misogyny. I know it's from 1908, but there are writers from before then that could write without denigrating women. 

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