Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

57 reviews

junowo's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is one of the most clever books I’ve ever read. If you think you already know it from the movie, you don’t. I was pleasantly surprised by both the complexity of the characters and the way this book constructs a world informed by patriarchy and misogyny. There are no certainties in this book, and that’s what makes it incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Classism, Blood, Violence, Self harm, Dementia, Chronic illness, Sexism, Murder, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Drug use, Rape, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Incest

mlovesbooks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

We are one long frightening climax.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Death of parent, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, and Violence

spicewitch's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Gillian Flynn really just kills it every time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Murder, and Rape

deviya's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

i—

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Stalking, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexism, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

saraavowlerr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I loved the writing and the overall plot but I’m not a fan of the ending and some parts felt unnecessary. I liked how the plot twist happened more so in the middle but it left the ending sort of boring for me. I liked the back and forth of the characters and as a reader constantly going back and forth who’s crazier. I feel like it’s one of those you can reread and really pick up on personality flaws that may explain the characters from the beginning. I recommend it. But it’s not the best Gillian Flynn book she’s written and it’s definitely not the best thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Blood, Cursing, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Dementia, and Sexual content

david_slack110507's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

You know a book is good when even a reading slump and an admittedly slow and uneventful first part of the book can't take away from your overall enjoyment and still leaves you with the decision to rate it 5 stars. It took me a while to finish this once started for two main reasons, 1) As mentioned earlier I was in a major reading slump, so I struggled to be even interested in some amazing other books I was reading at the time such as the AGGGTM series and 2) The first part of the book was really slow and difficult to get into. 

Gillian Flynn's writing is brilliant and feels much more complex than some of the other writing I've read before, the way she writes both Nick and Amy but particularly Amy is amazing (Pun intended). She makes sure that they are presented as awfully complex and toxic people yet gives them many layers that the reader can both love and hate them at the same time. I will admit that the supporting cast of characters isn't really developed beyond bits and pieces of detail, but they don't really have to be, this is a story between Nick and Amy and their complexities as characters. 

The book really hits its stride when it begins its second part, reading about Amy was much more fascinating to me because she's written with such brilliance that she genuinely believes that the things she is doing are a reasonable reaction to what Nick has done. She's a well-written example of a morally complex and grey female protagonist/character. I didn't expect this book to go into such gritty detail about Amy's plan, but it made her all the more interesting in how she rationalises her behaviour whilst Nick's perspective is also intriguing as he goes from loving his wife to hating her and planning to kill her within a second's notice. 

I'm really glad that I read the book rather than watch the movie first (which I will be doing soon hopefully) as I feel like I wouldn't have had the motivation to read this if I already knew what happens and if I knew how long it would take me to finish it. Looking forward to potentially reading more of Flynn's novels in the future and seeing how their adaptations fare in comparison to the source material. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Stalking, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Rape

Moderate: Gaslighting, Self harm, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexism, Misogyny, Grief, Kidnapping, Death, Gore, and Miscarriage

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Deadnaming, Vomit, Drug use, and Dementia

sharknerd's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

slow at first but the buildup is worth it

the characters are very interesting, i enjoy how small, seemingly unimportant things they say/do add to their characterization. it also had some great criticism of true crime culture

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Violence

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual violence

visnisme's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Cursing, Self harm, and Infidelity

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I have had this book on my radar for YEARS, but I finally decided it was time to read it because 1) I found a great copy at a library book sale and 2) it is a great thriller for spooky season. I was utterly blown away by this story and once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
"Gone Girl" follows Nick Dunne, a man whose wife, Amy, goes missing the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary. We know that Nick is hiding something, but did he murder his wife? In between the chapters we get Amy's perspective through letters that shed a lot of light that perhaps this marriage is not as great as we were led to believe.
 

I was really enjoying this story until it is revealed that Amy is still alive. She staged her death and framed her husband so that she could escape her life because she feels like everyone is leaching off of her. I had heard from other people that they really loved Amy because she is such a "boss bitch", but I did not get that vibe from her at all. Amy really infuriated me as a character because she is such a toxic person. Nick is not a terrible person, and he does not deserve to be framed and sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. Yes, he cheated on Amy and had an ongoing affair, and that is inexcusable, but there is NO justification for Amy to behave as she did. She came across as an entitled woman who threw a hissy fit when things did not go her way. She is a highly unlikeable character, and I disliked her so much that I ended up empathizing with Nick for most of the novel.
Amy aside, I really enjoyed this story. The writing and prose are so beautiful and poetic. Nick is a writer, and his inner dialogue is enchanting to read. Gillian Flynn knows how to write the perfect prose that is not too flowery but still so eloquent and captivating. This mystery was also riveting. We know very early on that everyone has something to hide, but it takes a while to peel back all of the layers and uncover what the truth is. I have really grown fond of domestic thrillers and this one set the bar high.

 
This was the perfect thriller for me, and ultimately, I only subtracted half a star because of how much I disliked Amy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Blood, Misogyny, and Torture

ayearinbookswithzoe's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

I really liked this book but I hated the main characters. I wanted Nick and Amy to have horrible things happen to them and while they did, it wasn’t enough for me. I enjoyed having both Nick and Amy’s perspectives, it definitely helped develop the story far more than if it had just been one. Honestly, everything was pretty unexpected. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Moderate: Self harm, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Stalking, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol