Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Rouge by Mona Awad

90 reviews

bookb1itch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

So. Weird. Creepy and sexy and literary. Something that could be read over and over, with new interpretations.  Gorgeous descriptions, with the repeated themes of red, roses, silk, water.  When Belle starts "forgetting" words, some of her substitutes are really telling: eg "sin" instead of "skin"; "derange" instead of "arrange".  There's a real madness there, in amongst the Tom Cruise and 80s music references.  I waited months for this from the public library and it was so worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

valeriedittrich's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

i never wanna see tom cruise again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

makeintoall's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

sydresnik's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

applejuiceinabox's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Mental illness, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

ashyyy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

The only way I can describe this book is comforting horror. Like a blanket that's slowly suffocating you. The narrative voice is more poetic prose and leaves you unsure whether you've slept walked through one chapter or five chapters. It felt like a natural progression of the author's writing style from Bunny.

I didn't necessarily like the protagonist, but that doesn't mean I wasn't rooting for them. Same with the protagonist's mother. I went in loathing her and came out with an angry, but empathetic, outlook.

The whiplash ending was wild. From being tense about the treament to laughing about Tom Cruise to crying over grief in the shape of a jellyfish. What a time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Death of parent

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Minor: Racism and Toxic friendship

There is a heavy obsession with skincare and looking "beautiful" throughout the book, including lightening darker skin.

ariep's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

This was a weird book. I really like the writing, i found it to be a very compelling read. It was challenging though, to be in that mindset of such strong self loathing and envy. It was especially challenging to read about wanting to have lighter skin; it brought me right back into the mindset I had when I was younger, wishing I wasn’t a brown girl. It was very interesting and emotional. I don’t know that I liked it, or that I’d recommend it, but it did evoke a lot of strong emotions in me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

ruronisai's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent

kittkat's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective slow-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

Mona Awad hat mich mal wieder absolut verzaubert. Die letzten 2 Tage des Lesens waren wie ein Fiebertraum, aber ich konnte das Buch einfach nicht weglegen.

Marva tells us self-care is telling yourself you matter every morning in the mirror. You should talk to it. Become friends with what you see there.

Belle ist süchtig nach Skincare, weil sie schon seit ihrer Kindheit sehr unsicher war und eifersüchtig auf alle die schöner waren. Ihr größter Komplex war ihre wunderschöne Mutter, mit der sie seit eines Unfalls keinen Kontakt mehr hatte und die nun tot aufgefunden wurde. Wie ihre Mutter vor ihrem Tod wird jetzt auch Belle in eine unheimliche Spa-Sekte hineingezogen. Sie bieten ihr eine kostenlose Behandlung an, aber sie nehmen mehr von ihr als sie geben 🫣.

I envy 🌹.

Wie bei Bunny ging es in dieser Geschichte um so viel mehr als im Blurb angeteasert wurde. 

• Die toxische aber vielfältige Mutter-Tochter-Beziehung. 
• Erwachsenwerden. 
• Erwachsenwerden ohne Vater und als Minderheit sogar im eigenen Haus. 
• Der Schaden, den Neid alleine anrichten kann. 
• Whitewashing und internalisierter Rassismus.

Dazu hat die Autorin noch so einen hypnotisierenden, humorvollen Schreibstil, der einen komplett in die Welt des Geschehens zieht. Auch wenn die Geschichte etwas zu lang gezogen wurde und man zwischendurch den roten Faden verliert, sehe ich das Buch irgendwie als ein Kunstwerk, das reine Interpretationssache ist.

Bonus: Mona Awad hat es wirklich geschafft so viele klassische Märchen (und sogar bisschen ägyptische Mythologie) auf die eine oder andere Art einzubauen: Dornröschen, Schneewittchen, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Der Zauberer von Oz, Ariel, … + sehr überraschend Tom Cruise, ich meine Seth, den Mann werde ich definitiv in meinen Alpträumen sehen 😭!!

„Oh my god, is it really you?“ - „It is really me,“ Tom Cruise whispers. Tom Cruise. Standing in Mother‘s mirror. Tom Cruise, in the flesh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, and Blood

Minor: Body shaming and Gore

grrrcait's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death