Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

10 reviews

rhiannonhoward's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Rape, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, Classism, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Racism

saritaadam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

It broke my heart

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, Death, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual content, Sexism, Police brutality, Misogyny, Deadnaming, Medical content, Grief, Outing, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Gore

Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, and Suicide

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

breaklikeafish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues, as she describes it, is not a masterpiece of "high" art but a call to action, much like a working-class organizer's leaflet. While the book succeeds in being an inspiring and nuanced exploration of gender identity and expression, coupled with an interesting historical perspective, I can't help but acknowledge its flaws that made the journey a bit of a struggle.

Following the life of gender-nonconforming butch lesbian Jess Goldberg, Stone Butch Blues presents a journey of self-discovery through numerous hardships and relationships. One commendable aspect is witnessing Jess grow over the years, but the narrative often suffers from disjointed scenes and sudden shifts in the supporting cast, making it challenging to track time and characters. This hindered my ability to connect with anyone beyond Jess, impacting the emotional depth of her relationships. The book eventually rectifies this issue in the latter half, reintroducing old characters and enhancing the overall reading experience.

A significant drawback lies in the overwhelming adversity faced by Jess at the beginning. While I understand the intention to portray the harsh realities of some individuals, it proved to be a bit much, almost causing me to disengage from the narrative. The early intensity seemed to desensitize me, making subsequent hardships less impactful than they might have been with a more gradual build-up.

Completing Stone Butch Blues left me with mixed feelings. I am grateful for the educational journey it provided, shedding light on the everyday struggles of trans, lesbian, and gender-nonconforming individuals in the 1940s–1970s USA. The insights into working-class life were valuable, contributing to my understanding of a topic I was largely unfamiliar with. However, the initial challenges in the narrative structure and the overwhelming hardships faced by the protagonist detracted from the overall impact. While I can appreciate its educational value, I can't wholeheartedly say that I'm glad I read it, as the experience was more of a mixed bag than a resounding success.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Medical content, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Transphobia, Sexism, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia

georgipordgi's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Blood, and Gore

lifewithjoce's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Gore, Police brutality, Sexism, Bullying, Violence, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, Biphobia, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Suicide

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Dementia

thattinyone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Hate crime, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Deadnaming, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Racism, Vomit, War, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Suicide, Bullying, and Self harm

Minor: Child abuse, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Gun violence

onyxs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Racial slurs, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Gore

Moderate: Suicide

bellyofthefish's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.75

This book is one of my favorites. Pretty dark, pretty depressing, but ultimately uplifting and inspiring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Gore, Rape, Lesbophobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse

bexdot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

4.5 ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Blood, Classism, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Bullying, Dysphoria, Gore, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality

Minor: Medical content, Outing, Alcohol, Racism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Dementia, and Drug use

msmarlena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Gore, Misogyny, Police brutality, Bullying, Death, Suicide, Cursing, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol and Excrement

Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Drug use, Terminal illness, Trafficking, and War