Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

19 reviews

elderwoodreads's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

I definitely need to reread this on paper to fully absorb the story, and honestly will probably rate it higher once I do. I loved the vibes of this book and the scenes I felt I fully understood were beautifully written. I am very interested in reading more of the author's works. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Incest, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Drug use

emmleo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.0

Vanskelig bok å få grep om. Kan hende det lå mer på meg, men lange perioder av boken hvor jeg ikke skjønte hva som foregikk og kjedet meg veldig. Jeg har lest myten om Herakles nylig, men følte ikke det hjalp så veldig. Kanskje hvis jeg hadde visst mer om konteksten og det Carson referer til. Skjønte litt mer da jeg leste oversetterens etterord. Likte allikevel slutten på boken. Likte dynamikken mellom Geryon og Ancash. Forholdet mellom Geryon og Herakles var noe komplekst.

Likte slutten med Geryon som endelig bruker vingene sine igjen.

Geryon var en karakter jeg likte å lese om på tross av alt. Poetisk, fint språk.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual content

athenian_frog's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

1.75

PLEASE SEE CONTENT WARNINGS BELOW!

Well written but I think I have to read again bc it was pretty confusing and kinda frustrating this first time around. Just left me feeling a bit depressed lmao so please be warned. I really just wanted better for the main character, man 😭

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, and Incest

Minor: Sexual content and Toxic relationship

(Vaguely detailed) The main character is molested by an older relative as a child at night. The person is:

his older brother

It is established as a regular occurrence. (Vaguely described) there is sexual content but what is there is of purple prose-y or is in the perspective of the morning after. The relationship that the MC has with another significant character (combined with the MC’s flawed ideas of bodily autonomy) read as toxic to me. This can be potentially triggering.

bennybooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

This book was like a cipher. Not in a pessimistic way. But like it’s raw, untranslated. Like I plucked it from the ground. I can see the sculptors finger prints in the clay.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

quinzel_14's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Incest, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content

navayiota's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Toxic relationship

It was alright. I assume it was more original and edgy when it came out but now it's incredibly tame.

The sexual assault scenes were very vivid, though.

At times it felt plotless in a bad way, and I don't see the connection between the myth and the story. It wasnt brought together at the end, it felt more like a gimmick than anything else, a hook to get people interested in the characters cause they themselves had nothing to provide. And then with the volcano god and the sacrifices, it felt like a last minute attempt at making sense of the story. It got me interested in long exposure photography which I'm happy about, but that's about it.

criticalgayze's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Autobiography of Red was recommended to me as part of my 30 Before 30 reading challenge where I enlisted 30 friends to share a book each I should read before my 30th birthday this year.

Going in, I had no clue about Anne Carson. I figured she was some fringe author and that this was a sort of one-off text (although I knew it had a less praised sequel). I had no idea she was a critically acclaimed poet or that this work was a NBCC award finalist.

The text itself is a phenomenal piece of novel in verse. The way repetition, especially of symbolism is use to tie in a cohesive narrative, and the way both the source text and its biographical history are weaved in was masterful.

Even more than the text itself, I was blown away by Carson's opening essays. The opening essay starts with the line, "He came after Homer and before Gertrude Stein, a difficult interval for a poet." In a year that has found me obsessed with writers on writing and reading, I was immediately hooked and practically salivating for a full work of LitCrit by Anne Carson.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Drug use

Minor: Animal death

earthtokb's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Chen Chen said online "I wonder if Anne Carson watches gay porn" and I have to agree. What a wild read lol but I'm glad I finally got around to it! I've been wanting to read this book since the original L word was on and the character Jenny mentioned it. Mythology is generally not my thing but this has me thinking twice about that! Beautiful language that's got my writer wheels turning.

My only drawbacks is I feel like at times the line between what was happening & what was just the inner thoughts of Geryon were blurred and not in a way that brought me closer to the text. Had to stop and start quite a bit (and I read poetry all the time so that's saying something). Love me some Anne Carson, tho!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Sexual content

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Animal death

abuck_2426's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content and Incest

Minor: Blood

ellecarman's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest and Sexual content