Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

9 reviews

oceange's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Classism, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Infidelity, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

dale_in_va's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Interesting commentary on the prison industrial complex and trickle down economics.  I think the sexual debauchery in the novel is meant to symbolize the corruption that occurs in such a system, but the sex in is so salicious that it can get a bit distracting and one forgets that it is a symbol.  But then again, in a world where one doesn't have real currency, I guess sex is the one currency that everyone has and can either spend or covet. 

Like Margaret Atwood's other books, this book is both entertaining on its face, and a deep social commentary.  Not a dissappointment, but didn't blow me away either.  Maybe because I couldn't really relate to the protagonists.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Trafficking

Minor: Sexual violence

Men are not portrayed in the best light in this book. So much so, that it can be a bit of a distraction, and may be a hurdle that may prevent readers who identify as male from getting the satire.

wormgirl's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Minor: Trafficking, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Confinement, Cancer, and Death

eli99's review

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

2.0

This book was just weird. It's not the sex stuff that was weird. I don't mind weird sex stuff. It's that the dystopia didn't seem realistic. At the same time, parts felt boring. Parts of the world haven't changed, yet parts are so different. 

At the end, it tries to wrap things up, but it doesn't feel successful. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Classism, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Sexism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Homophobia

blymanor's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual content, Rape, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Trafficking, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Slavery

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Gaslighting, Grief, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Sexual harassment, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Cancer, Classism, Confinement, and Pedophilia

quixie's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

This novel had a great start then half way through it started to lose my interest and the last 3rd was a drag. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Misogyny

Minor: Trafficking, Homophobia, Addiction, and Pedophilia

wreathedinviolets's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

I got sucked into the middle of this, but the ending left me with an unsatisfied feeling and not in a good way. Compared to what I thought the book was going to be delving into, the end seemed to wrap everything up with a bow even though it wasn’t exactly happily ever after. I thought I was going to be more unsettled than I actually was. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Trafficking, Classism, and Rape

Minor: Animal cruelty

sofipitch's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book is thoroughly fucked up, Stepford Wives meets.... I don't know what. Really well done dystopia, very believable, probably because it borrows on actual social issues such as the Prison Industrial Complex. I also spent the whole book thinking that Stan and Charmaine need to get a divorce, that I'd be mad if they stayed married and Atwood said, "oh, I can think of something worse". I think the most fascinating thing about this book is it's about bringing down this dystopian system, when the main characters don't actually care to do it, they are forced to help. They find out about murder and all kinds of fucked up things and are just like, "but the system gives me a house". It really gets into the idea of what would you be willing to give up for security and comfort, especially when you aren't the one giving anything up, you make other ppl do it. A very real tale about what happens when people are selfish. I find this very pertinent considering we just had to watch the first billionaire go to space with money he could be using to end world hunger, poverty, climate change, etc.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Sexism

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Minor: Cancer and Pedophilia

cceeee's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, and Pedophilia