Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

14 reviews

pleu's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

It's a classic for a reason and I found it very thought-provoking in an enjoyable way. I didn't care for the ending tho as it felt a bit like an "easy escape", on the other hand the essay by the author seem to indicate that he too didn't care for the ending as he grew older so I guess it's a pretty acceptable opinion.

Some part of the Swedish translation makes me wonder how this was received in it's original language, as some expressions seem oddly worded. I'm not sure if that's the author or the translation.

I did get a chuckle out of the Swedish preface by Göran Rosenberg, as it was from 2000 and clearly dated itself when he said that 1984 is now very unrealistic to him as information is free and open and it will be hard for any country to change that. In this day and age that part falls a bit flat but the text was still a good preface for the book. Currently available at https://www.rosenberg.se/frord-huxley if one reads a different edition of the book (only in Swedish).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Suicide, Self harm, and Racism

Moderate: Medical content, Drug abuse, Ableism, Sexual content, Violence, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Addiction, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Incest, Abortion, War, Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual content, Murder, and Vomit

The last chapter has a character "driven mad" were he's flogging himself and eventually ends his own life, he's driven on by a big crowd of people and it's very dehumanizing.

bethan_grace's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

malpal9's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

3.0

Bernard is such a little bitch

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Domestic abuse

maddie_can_read's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

First time reading this book as an adult. Read it in school maybe like 2009 so it's strange to read it 15 years later. I remember finding it interesting and enjoying it. Now it feels weirdly nostalgic so I'm not sure what to rate it. Also because I definitely have a much different understanding of it now.

The audiobook had good narration.

I think this would be a 5 star for me if the story was a bit tighter, and the tone (because of when the book was written) feels kind of weird at points. 

Towards the end of the book it feels more like the author is telling us some of his societal hot takes via 2 characters having a conversation rahter than like working it more seamlessly into the story.

wish we saw more of what happened to Helmholtz and Bernard on their island of misfits. Also wish we saw what happe ed to Johns father. The part with John's anger towards Lenina was really interesting, lots of like weird projection shit on John's part - I hate the men who slept with my mother, they were bad, so now that I want to sleep with Lenina I'm bad? But he never wanted to hurt his mother for her actions and really loved her, so it was kind of weird how violent he got towards Lenina

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Child abuse, Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction

Minor: War

livimack's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

Firstly, Sally Rooney could definitely write this. Secondly, I can see why some places banned this book. And finally, I severely underestimated this book. The blurb also seriously underestimated it, too. And not gonna lie, I could probably analyse this for weeks and still have material to chat about. Good book. Philosophy in action innit. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexism, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, and Violence

readinbythesea's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

3.0

In my dystopian book era. Had already seen the series for this but was intrigued with the book. I've read better dystopians but enjoyed this one as well. It has some important warnings for modern society against distractions from the important things... 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse

yellow_star's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

This was terrifying to me, I think I read it too young. (No one forced me to read it, I borrowed an older kid's assigned reading) 

The little boy getting in trouble for not wanting to have child sex, as a preteen child myself at the time I read this, was deeply disturbing. I'd caution you to recommend  this only to older teens (though of course if they choose to read this themselves that's another matter as smart kids will drop it if it becomes too much.)

Of course this is still unsettling to older readers, but it shouldn't be traumatizing to most people 15+. The unsettled feeling instead should make you consider government control of a population and how much is too much, and if you think a little creatively you can apply the novel to make connections of companies and governments and stalker peers spying on you and trying to control you in the modern era. 

The book just isn't for me because I was too upset by that first reading. If you can't emotionally get through political commentary dystopia books then this probabl  isn't a great fit. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, and Torture

gabriella_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

That was when science first began to be controlled—after the Nine Years’ War. People were ready to have even their appetites controlled then. Anything for a quiet life. We’ve gone on controlling ever since. It hasn’t been very good for truth, of course. But it’s been very good for happiness. One can’t have something for nothing. Happiness has got to be paid for. You’re paying for it, Mr. Watson—paying because you happen to be too much interested in beauty. I was too much interested in truth; I paid too.

What an interesting read. Thematically, there’s a lot to dissect but I don’t really have the energy to get into it. The final two chapters were a mindfuck. This is burdened by knowledge: the book.

There was a silence. In spite of their sadness—because of it, even; for their sadness was the symptom of their love for one another—the three young men were happy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Body shaming, Addiction, Death, Violence, Suicide, Rape, Mental illness, Grief, Deportation, Colonisation, Confinement, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Bullying, Body horror, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Blood, and Ableism

summerb's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Classism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Racism, Drug use, Grief, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Minor: Addiction, Blood, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Vomit, Abandonment, Cursing, War, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcohol, Death, Genocide, Infertility, Self harm, Alcoholism, Violence, Abortion, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness

jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, Slavery, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexism, and Torture