Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

162 reviews

moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious tense

4.0

This was a really intense collection. It's the sort of literature you really have to sit with. I felt like I should have been reading it for a class (not in a bad way). There was a lot explored in interesting and intricate ways. There was a lot thematically about misogyny, trauma and mental health, and queerness. 

As with any collection, there were ups and downs. My favorite story was probably Mothers. My least favorite was Especially Heinous (though I love a lot of the ideas there, it was way too long). Overall, it was well written, intense, and definitely fucked with my mind

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

snazzy10101's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

yinflower's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexism, and Animal death

Minor: Rape

krispiefries's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Child abuse, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit

danielsal31's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Misogyny

mirasu's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

Alas... Her Body and Other Parties felt sophomoric and contrived. Machado's technical skills far surpass her conceptual premises here. It's interesting to compare these stories to In the Dream House, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

rbsinger's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape

frogreads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is lovingly and hauntingly well-written. Even though i didn't understand the analogies in some stories (and looked up each story after) i adored the way each one was written. I am left both hollow and full; the way a truly good book does. 

The only reason this is not marked higher is because of my difficulty of understanding. Some of these stories are red hot wires of pain and trauma and then they're gone- and im left grasping to find the purpose of the story itself. I look forward to the day the author releases a longform story and we are allowed to grow, blossom, and die with the main characters. 

Her characters are deep from the start and complicated like a dream you barely remember. All of these stories are feminist, predominantly queer, and have an edge of mental health and i appreciate them for that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy

In my opinion some of these stories read like you are going through a dissociative fugue. You jump around and know as much as the main character does to the point where you are affected too-left feeling lost and confused, but taken all the same. This is very much in the stories The Resident and Mothers. Could be triggering for those who experience dissociation and/or derealization.

intoblossom's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Body horror

Moderate: Violence, Rape, Eating disorder, and Misogyny