Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

11 reviews

idk_indigo's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

1.75

Okay, guys... hear me out but... I think the character Jerome might be black... I could be wrong though, please don't cancel me

Mr Mercedes was my first finished Stephen King novel, and I think maybe a combination of the very white author constantly using racial slurs and the very white narrator constantly saying them, just turned me off so much. I felt like Jerome could not be mentioned once in the entire book without reference to the fact that, yes, he's black. But wait, guys, it's okay that he's black cause he's applying to Harvard and Yale. Like, everyone who meets him points this out and it's constantly brought up as, like, part of his character and I genuinely don't think "Jerome" was ever alone in a sentence without "black." Like, girl... 

Sort of similar to Hodges being fat, though there weren't so many comments about weight, but like I don't think I've heard so many fat jokes in a single book before. Like, Hodges fucking hates himself and cannot even talk to his girlfriend without being like "Woe is me, I'm so fat, how could you ever love me?" Or to his neighbor Jerome without a couple self-deprecating jokes about needing to lose 50 pounds. And like how old he is, too, but then he mentions being 62 at some point and I'm like, where is the old?? I felt sort of like Hodges was meant to be a grumpy old man character-turned heartfelt fatherly figure bc of the love from his community, which we all know I love <3 Maybe this trope doesn't work too well with the genre because I was like, girl shut up, you're ugly. And fat too, apparently. Don't care. I hated his character, he drove me nuts & was hella sexist and even openly admits to not taking women seriously because they're "crazy" and women. Then at the end he

fucking has a heart attack, probs because he's so fat

The villain/antagonist/perp (not too familiar with the genre, so what's the correct term here?) was I think influenced by like Ted Bundy and other serial killer types, complete with killer Freudian mommy issues. He was very unlikable, which I guess is one thing King did right bc I am sick and tired of these characters being "undercover misunderstood good guys." 

Overall.... idk what to tell you. I'm glad I tried out a King novel. However, I believe I will stick to girly horror from now on. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Incest, Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, and Stalking

eadrianschmitz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.5

I don't like the way he writes about the female characters, and if you can get over the unrealistic progression of the plot, it's a pretty good story. Two minor things from the first scene that drove me crazy: Costco doesn't have bags, misuse of the term "baby mama". Can recommend audiobook. Great narrator.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Addiction, Body horror, Classism, Genocide, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Fatphobia, Medical content, Blood, Biphobia, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual violence, and Vomit

I don't like the way he writes about the female characters, and if you can get over the unrealistic progression of the plot, it's a pretty good story. Two minor things from the first scene that drove me crazy: Costco doesn't have bags, misuse of the term "baby mama". Can recommend audiobook. Great narrator.

txbonnet's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

I can't recall the last time a character made me as uncomfortable and angry as Brady Hartsfield. I wanted to rage and was rooting for him to be caught the entire time. I was heavily pregnant when I read the book and coming to the opening scene of Brady running the Mercedes through the crowd, killing the baby was difficult to stomach.

King is a master of making you feel his writing. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Cursing, Child death, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Death, Sexism, Racism, and Gore

rcholly's review

dark medium-paced

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

4.0

This was my first Stephen King novel and what a novel to start with. What started off as a slow burner turned into a fast-paced ending, where you’re clamouring to find out what happens. It was dark and creepy, with some lighter bits throughout. Whilst the characters seem 2D at first, as the story develops this also opens up the complexity of the characters. Keen to read on in the rest of the trilogy. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Incest

michaelavictoria's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Racial slurs, Child death, Child abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Murder, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing

Minor: Medical content, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Torture, Chronic illness, Police brutality, Body shaming, Dementia, Eating disorder, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Slavery, Bullying, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Infidelity

sgordon00's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

it took me a while to finish because the first part started out so slow to build the world we were in. crazy for stephen king to use the n word the way he did tho lmao

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cursing, Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Sexism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Suicide, Stalking, Blood, Sexual content, Death, Racial slurs, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Incest, and Mental illness

renee_will's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I don't want to spend any more time thinking about this book, tbh, but I'd just like to say that it is easily the worst of King's works I've ever read. I truly do not understand the positive reviews for it, it's baffling.

Aside from the frankly dull police procedural plot, it is just deeply offensive. The language is homophobic, fatphobic, sexist, racist, ableist, the list goes on. Yes, I grasp that we are meant to dislike the antagonist, but making him possess every single abhorrent quality imaginable is just so very lazy. And it just feels gross to read, it isn't enjoyable, it's disgusting and it made me want to put it down multiple times.

And don't get me started on the pathetic boomer protagonist. Jesus, he is just the saddest white cop who ever lived. My violins couldn't get any smaller. We don't really know why he's a curmudgeon, he just is. He's not really very nice, or interesting. The fact that he is "a fat ex-cop" is repeated ad nauseum as though being fat is his only defining trait. Then there's his sidekick, a black teenager who INEXPLICABLY uses an old-timey slave affectation AS AN INSIDE JOKE. WITH AN ADULT WHITE MAN. What. And I can't stress this enough, the f*ck. And oh lord the techno-speak is like my mom trying to understand how her VCR works.

It's just not a very good detective story. It's not a whodunnit because you know whounnit the whole time. There's no mystery. Just an unlikeable grumpy vigilante making stupid decisions.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Sexism, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Animal cruelty

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

 If there is one thing Mr. King excels at it is writing absolutely unlikable characters. Even characters that should be likeable largely have aspects that can make the reader dislike them. In some chapters this worked well and framed the event how each character saw them clearly. In other chapters the reader became enmeshed in a slog of diatribe that was a true chore to get through, even in the audiobook format. 
If you are fond of Mr. King's other works and characters you will probably like this. If you are coming in expecting a typical thriller you will not enjoy this as much. For me, despite my casual familiarity with several of King's works I found it difficult to get up to the 40% mark in the book. To the story's credit the pace does pickup upon the changing of a key character or two somewhere around the 50% mark.

The pace picks up after the death of Janey.

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Child death, Murder, Incest, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Addiction, Classism, Animal death, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Ableism, Sexism, and Car accident

Minor: Blood, Vomit, Excrement, and Adult/minor relationship

There is an adult/minor relationship between Brady and his mother. He claims to have been a victim of a different adult/minor relationship during his psychological torture of Olivia.

lilaceous's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

characters - 
plot - ⭐️
engaging to read - ⭐️
would recommend - 
would read again - 

this novel had me cringing, and not in a fun way. weird portrayals of women, black characters, queer characters, etc. also just gross stuff happening and lots of cheap, shock-factor attempts at character development. the climax of the book did genuinely make my heart race, but the conclusion of that tension left me disappointed. in so many ways, this book wasn’t worth reading.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Racism

giuliana_ferrari's review

adventurous dark tense fast-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

Would give more stars if SK didn't have this awful habit of dropping the N-bomb, writing women in a very weird manner, and overall being clearly an older, white man with little sense of what reality for POC and women are like.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Racism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism and Alcoholism