Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

19 reviews

abeplaut's review

adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Certain bits of mythology and folklore were invented to tell this story. One small complaint is the inclusion of a “name changed at Ellis Island” sort of scene. This is a common myth among many Jewish American families that names were changed during immigration proceedings. The truth is that people petitioned the state of NY to change names after the fact. That one detail was a distraction from an otherwise exciting story set in 19th century NYC at the convergence of Yiddish/Ashkenazi Jewish and Syrian and Arab folklore. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Outing, Death, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Murder, Violence, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

nessynoname's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

5.0

There is no getting around the fact that this book is incredibly slow. Part of that comes from an abundance of detail in the writing style and careful introspection of each character. But if you are patient with the narrative you will find an incredibly rich and meticulously plotted story that wraps itself up into a neat and elegant bow by the end. 
I am not incredibly into the historical genre but this story plays to several of my specific interests. I very much enjoyed learning about the not-oft utilized myth creatures of golems and jinn and appreciated how thoroughly grounded in cultural contexts the author aspires to present them. The author seems to take great care giving detail to the Jewish and Syrian communities, both New and Old World, featured in the story, and every character is unique and grounded. I also deeply appreciate that main characters Ahmad and Chava, while not exactly being *not* romantically interested in each other, have factors to their relationship outside of romantic intrigue and are allowed to organically come to value and enjoy each other's company rather than being smashed together out of obligation of being the male and female leads. In closing, this is a lovingly and meticulously crafted book. Slow as it is, I would not begrudge someone being impatient with it but I greatly appreciated my time with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Mental illness, Confinement, Pregnancy, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

stephanelli's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

queerloras's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely spectacular. Fucking brilliant. That's it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Murder, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Violence, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Drug use

ska1224's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Racism, and Infertility

lanid's review against another edition

adventurous

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Confinement, Violence, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Body horror, and Death

qtcarolyn's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Suicide attempt, Death, Gore, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Drug use

Minor: Infertility

annadirknowitzki's review against another edition

adventurous reflective sad 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

4.5

Light fantasy/magical realism with a philosophical backbone & so many excellent characters, amidst the dramatic backdrop of Victorian-era New York City. What more could a girl ask for? Manages to grapple with big existential questions without succumbing to the temptation to answer them. Couldn’t put it down in the second half as the plot lines came to a head. Cried at the ending because I’m a sucker for a love story. It reminded me in tone of The Bird King, which I also loved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy and Suicide attempt

alyssa_s10's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Miscarriage

briegordon's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Classism, and Death of parent