Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Being Lolita: A Memoir by Alisson Wood

25 reviews

laurenvoice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Being Lolita: a memoir is brave, raw and emotional.

Giving this memoir anything less than five stars would be an insult. Alisson Wood bared her heart and soul in telling her story of power and abuse. Wood beautifully intertwined her story with Nabokov's story Lolita.

Part i was about grooming and emotional manipulation.

Part ii was about emotional and physical abuse.

Part iii was about discovering the truth, breaking the cycles and patterns of being in abusive relationships, and relearning what love is. Part iii spoke about the language used in stories to manipulate the reader, like in Lolita.

In this memoir, Wood made reference to Disney princesses: Ariel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty; all these girls, portrayed as young and vulnerable, needing a "grown man", their prince, to save them. There were references to Alice in Alice in Wonderland, who was a child, small and vulnerable. And there were references to Lolita, Dolores Haze, a young girl, a child abused by an adult man, described as the seductress, as the one with all the power. When in fact, it was Humbert with all the power. Just like Alisson, she never had the power in her story; she was vulnerable and preyed upon; the teacher held all the power, and he used language and stories to manipulate her.

Being Lolita: a memoir is an emotional but empowering read. To understand the references made within this book, I would recommend reading Lolita by Nabokov. However, Wood does a spectacular job of speaking about the use of language used by Nabokov to manipulate the reader. Being Lolita: a memoir is an essential read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm

librarymouse's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Alisson Wood's accounts of her youth and struggles with mental health are incredibly tangible and relatable. The way she writes, weaving the narrative of how she was told to perceive her being groomed by her teacher, with the reality of the situation and the storyline in the novel Lolita make for very engaging storytelling without trivializing the memories and issues she explores. To use Lolita as a lense, framed as a love story, through which to view their relationship and then recommend Alisson go to school for English implies that Nick Norris either profoundly stupid or incredibly vain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Vomit, Body shaming, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism

thebookpaiges's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Self harm, and Death

literaryrambles's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse

softdisorder's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Self harm

smallcasualbooktok's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

I really liked this memoir. I loved how the structure mirrored the structure of lolita until alisson breaks away from her abuser, and the memoir then breaks away with that structure. I also thought the literary criticism was super well done, and the memoir was just overwell beautifully written. I do think it could have gone a bit deeper, but all in all I really liked this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

poptina's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring sad fast-paced

3.75

Hard to get through at times but I loved the ending.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Rape, and Pedophilia

Once you get past all of those warnings it’s good

nura_aga's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

angel_kiiss's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

wolfiereads's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship