Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

40 reviews

alissa_m's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Religious bigotry

books_coffee_rambling's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 🏭
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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🏢 The plot: Shuggie Bain is born in Glasgow to beautiful alcoholic Agnes and philandering taxi driver Big Shug Bain. When Big Shug abandons his family in a mining town decimated by Thatcherism, Agnes’s addiction takes hold, and Shuggie grapples not only with his enduring love and concern for his mother, but with the growing awareness in him and everyone around him that he is not a “normal boy”.
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This is the kind of book that you read and find yourself wondering over and over again if it’s autobiographical, because the characters are so rich and real. It’s not “about” Shuggie Bain in the way that Oliver Twist is “about” Oliver Twist - his adventures and the things that he does - but it is about him in the sense that it’s about the places and the people he comes from, the love and pain informing the decisions that shape his life. Family is at the heart of this novel: the ways in which we inherit things from the people who raise us, but also our separateness as individuals in a fractious society, our inability to be responsible for anyone’s survival but our own. I still don’t know if it’s ultimately optimistic or pessimistic in outlook, but it is moving, and it’s a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time!
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If I had one complaint, it would be that the novel spends so long contextualising Shuggie that you see relatively little of him as a person, particularly as a teenager. It feels a little anticlimactic - but maybe that’s just me longing for a happy ending for this character!
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🏘 Read it if you like character-driven novels that explore hard-hitting social history, written in accessible prose. Also to pick up random bits of Glaswegian slang!
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🚫 BIG avoid if you are sensitive to scenes of rape, assault, alcoholism, and child sexual assault. I would urge anyone doubtful to carefully check TWs before reading as it can get quite graphic. This is also not a very plot-driven book so avoid if that’s not your thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

hadders88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

sashanotwillsmith's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Blood

Minor: Terminal illness, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

lizziereads608d5's review

I found this book really hard to get into, and i tried to continue with it even when i thought about giving up on it but once shuggies wife moved and he left her i gave up as i really wanted a happy ending for her and her children. Glasgow is a tough city to grow up in if you live in the 'wrong' part

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

leonineliterature's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• 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

3.0

Not necessarily a great read but captivating because I needed to know how it would end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pedophilia and Religious bigotry

zoreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Grief

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

myhomextheroad's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, and Excrement

randykraft's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Impeccable detail, honest and loving to culture and characters despite endless flaws. Not a new story but an original telling. Bravo. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Grief