Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

26 reviews

skyba3's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Such a great book! Wonderfully written and imaginative. I l sometimes didn’t even know I’d entered the fantasy until it was blatantly obvious. It was disturbing, sad, beautiful, and sometimes even creepy (I’m talking to you, office hours)? It was witty, imaginative, and sometimes very jarring. I just really loved this one. I will note that most stories end very ambiguously (which I loved), so I’m not sure many would enjoy not receiving a clear answer, but I loved how the end of each story allowed me to take a beat and think about the meaning of the story, the imagery and symbols, what the fantasy was and what it represented. It was a very beautiful book, and I think anyone can easily pick up this book. It’s amazing what Ling Ma does to build a story so quickly and so engaging. I often struggle getting into new novels but each short story was enticing from the start. 

Also - I wanted to note that this book would be very easy to listen to as an audiobook (try libby).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer and Car accident

mzynda's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

danibailey's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, and Xenophobia

Minor: Rape

robinks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

This was such an interesting collection of stories. They all left me feeling a bit uneasy and unresolved, though the fantastic elements in each of the stories were quite creative. I particularly enjoyed Oranges and Peking Duck.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Racism

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual content

siebensommer's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

favourites: oranges, returning, office hours 

She wanted a homecoming, whatever that meant. Maybe it was to be overwhelmed by déjà vu, a staggering tsunami wave.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

americattt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

“How bizarre that you can be someone else and the world will still absorb you.”

favorite short story: peking duck

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

mraddd's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Body shaming

Minor: Cultural appropriation

samudyatha's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse

quesatiya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, and Racism

Moderate: Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Body horror, Eating disorder, and Body shaming

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Cancer

mondovertigo's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Minor: Eating disorder