Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Paradais by Fernanda Melchor

79 reviews

kia_y_k'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Body shaming, Sexual content, Misogyny, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, and Toxic friendship

kateriv's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.75

The writing is good, though sometimes too full of run-ons, description that feels endless, and an over usage of curse words that felt immature (though it does fit the youth and anger of Polo). It’s the tone - of fury and anger - and mood - of indescribable disgust -  that are what make this book. And the incredible power of voice that most of the positive reviews mention is truly spot on and we’ll deserved. Though my rating is low, it isn’t because of the quality of the book. The subject matter is horrific, and this book isn’t for the feint of heart. You can also read it in one sitting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

bitchigo's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Incest, and Sexual violence

owlribbon's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Gun violence, Incest, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Violence

Moderate: Excrement

veelaughtland's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Stalking, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Gun violence, Gore, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Cursing, Child abuse, Body shaming, Blood, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pregnancy

kmharris's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Incest, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Murder

kaiulanilee's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Violence, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Body shaming

Moderate: Colonisation, Drug use, Racism, Torture, Classism, Blood, and Child abuse

jlebon's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

3.25

Whilst I did still overall enjoy this book, it is undoubtedly a frustrating read from cover-to-cover. Whether it is Melchor's sprawling sentences and aversion to punctuation, paragraphs or chapters, or the fact that nothing really happens for the first 95% of the book and the narrative climax is condensed into a few, brief, confusing final pages, there are a number of criticisms I have with this book.

This is particularly frustrating in that I think the concept of the text is fantastic, being extremely dark in nature, presenting incel culture through the lens of the two main characters Polo and Franco and the destructive effect this mindset has upon both themselves and the people around them. However, Melchor has to be given plaudits in her nuanced presentation of such issues, cultivating characters that are products of their environment and aspects of society. Nevertheless, I do think that this was elongated to an unnecessary extent with a great portion of the middle of the text going over well-trodden ground. However, I understand how this could also be symbolic of the trapped mindset the protagonist Polo finds himself in.

As a final point, given the huge build-up to the climax of the narrative, I found the ending unsatisfactory in its briefness and confusing nature.

Again, I understand that this is representative of Polo's loss of mind but for the build-up I wanted that bit more.

By no means a bad book but I definitely think it could have been improved in a multitude of aspects.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Rape, Body shaming, Death, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Emotional abuse

hannahjilll's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

i loved the stream of consciousness writing in this and i grew to enjoy the narrator. i think the content was not my usual cup of tea but i appreciated the story and cried nonetheless

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Incest, Rape, and Violence

reading_sadie's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

2.5

A troubling story of the classism, sexism and difficult situations many in Mexico find themselves in. Not for the faint of heart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Incest, Body shaming, Misogyny, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Murder, and Rape