Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Die sieben Tode der Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

24 reviews

pageturner777's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

What a let down. There’s so much to slog through just to get to the end which was an incredibly sloppy & rushed finish. I think it’s a cool concept and I was very excited about it. I kept pushing through the book because I was really hopeful the ending would have a twist that would wrap everything up or explain. Nope. To everyone that DNF, you didn’t miss anything. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Fatphobia, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

lizziaha's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.25

I have to give it to the author for the sheer complexity of the story, as well as making each of the 8 hosts distinctly different characters, but after that, this book is just average. I didn’t feel like the characters really had motivations behind their actions, more like they were just playing the parts. And despite the fact that the men far outnumbered the women, not a single woman came across as complex or multi dimensional. As for the plot twists, I either guessed them or didn’t really care about them, so I didn’t really feel the need to keep turning the page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, and Death of parent

issamay's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault

bonneamie's review against another edition

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent and War

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Why I Read It: The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton first came onto my radar when I was looking for books involving time loops, since I love time loops. Months later, I saw it in the bookstore and decided to pick it up.

 

Review:

Turton should get a standing ovation for the brilliance of this book’s concept. It’s incredibly original, and no lazy author would have even come close to touching it. The execution of the concept is also laudable, as Turton’s beautiful writing and detailed thought made this book a joy to read. I never felt impatient about figuring out the mystery; I was content to let the story unfold and follow the main character step by step as he painfully learns more and more about his situation. Despite the undeniably convoluted plot, I was able to follow along, and I appreciated the moral questions Turton poses throughout the story. More importantly, the characters’ motivations and actions felt well-thought-out and realistic. It would have been far too easy for everything to feel contrived, but for most of the book, this is not the case.

 

I knew that no matter how amazing most of the book was, my ultimate measure of the book would rest heavily on the conclusion. While the conclusion is not the disaster it could have been—no plot holes are introduced, and it remains well-thought-out—unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my hopes. It fell into the trap mysteries so often fall into, in which the author springs a twist so out of left field that it feels contrived and requires a lengthy explanation to understand. The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle did not need such a twist for me to feel impressed by the mystery and the book’s intelligence. I felt that the ending somewhat betrayed the main character’s arc.

My main problem with the ending was Anna’s character. How am I supposed to believe that one of the world’s most evil people somehow becomes a good person by endlessly cycling through time loops in a setting that is described as “poisonous” in its immorality and corruption?

One other thing that bothered me considerably was the fatphobic language. The language Turton uses to describe a fat character is unnecessarily cruel. 

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle if:

·      You are intrigued by unique, original premises

 

You might not like The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle if:

·      You dislike intricate plots

·      You go into the book wedded to your expectations

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

laurajordensharris's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

leahrosiee's review against another edition

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

3.75

Most of this book would have been 2 stars for how I struggled through it but it was unlike any other mystery I’ve experienced so it gains another star. Maybe in a different mood or time I would have liked it better. The way the story spirals in on itself is insane and I truly would have never seen the ending coming, which is frustrating and great at the same time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Self harm and Abandonment

katrinasherise's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so much. However I could have entirely done without the significant fat phobia in several chapters of this book. That aside, I was totally engrossed in this story. I love that I didn’t have any clue what the ending would be. I was thoroughly shocked at several points in the story. The story was extremely clever and exciting. And an interesting look into values and morals of character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Classism

One character is a serial rapist. No rape happens in the book but is mentioned during his chapters. One character is FREQUENTLY described in fat phobic descriptors. The story is about murder and several occur including descriptions, blood, guns, drowning, injury, stabbing, etc. lots of drug and alcohol use. Description of a child’s murder. Things that will really spoil the ending/reveals:

Infidelity, children from that infidelity. Murder by suicide and plots of faking a suicide.

dustghosts's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

+ Beautiful turns of phrase, figurative language, the kind of writing that makes me want to also sit down and write
+ Satisfyingly cyclical, repetitive but full of just the right twists and turns that you want to keep reading to figure out what the exact same scene and setup looks like through a different set of eyes
+ Super exciting exploration and expansion of how to use POV to invoke emotion, tell a thrilling story, and string everything together
+ A very charming cast of absolutely unbearable little bastards; feels like you gain an evolving and empathetic understanding of each character with each new day

+ Despite the author’s sort of muddled/overly neutral comments in his own commentary, I find the book to be a pretty compelling allegory for and argument against the carceral state. The text itself feels distinctly poised against both the current prison system and the future potential for “mental imprisonment”.

- Some really egregious fatphobia that feels uncomfortable and gross to read, especially for a contemporary book. Not really skippable, either— while this character has other values to the narrative, fatness is treated as a debilitating moral failing reflective of character.
- So extremely British—
- Near the end, starts to feel as though things are being wrapped up too quickly, not quite as immersive as the rest of the book.

For example, I think we’re supposed to interpret Annabelle before Blackheath as as heinous as Daniel, whose villainy we’ve watched develop and worsen throughout the week. But whoever she was before feels too simply and vaguely summarized in comparison to the blunt relaying of Daniels crimes throughout the rest of the book. I wish we could spend a little more time remembering WITH Aiden, though I suppose the pacing might suffer for that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Vomit, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

thevieira's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting