Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

54 reviews

babymoomoocow's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a heartbreaking book. Douglas Stuart writes characters so real you easily get sucked into the book. You really just want to hug Mungo and tell him it'll be okay and that he should run away with James. But life really isn't like that and neither is this book. 

This book is definitely a book you're gonna want trigger warnings for because it's not for the faint of heart. 

I was listening to the audiobook as I read the physical copy and I think that's ideal because you hear the glaswegian accent and how things flow. It makes for a much better reading experience.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Alcohol, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Classism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

remimicha's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Abortion, Ableism, Abandonment, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Classism, Bullying, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Child abuse, Blood, Animal death, Murder, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Hate crime, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Infidelity

notthatcosta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? No

3.25

This was a book of two halves for me. I loved it as an ethnography slice of life from the East End of Glasgow in the 90s, which I found very interesting. The characters were very well fleshed out and the 'world' felt incredibly vivid and visceral. Douglas Stuart is clearly very talented at world building. 

However, the flashes forward to the plot at the loch veered into misery porn in a way that felt unnecessary. I hate the countryside as much as it is, and I don't feel like the events that transpired really added anything to the book, nor did it really inform the plot. I feel like it would have been a total triumph had it completely erased that sub plot, including the ending.

Overall the excellent parts outweigh the part I resented having to read, and I'm keen to read Shuggie Bain off the back of this.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Animal death, Alcohol, Sexism, Child abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Homophobia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Classism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Rape, and Sexual assault

rebecca_cant_read's review

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Addiction, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, Classism, Death, and Pedophilia

jasminrain's review

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

This book shattered me but it's also one of the best books I've read in a while. It's a brilliant, yet extremely heavy description of what it was like to grow up queer and working class in Glasgow. One should definitely check the content warnings before reading this book as it's a very challenging read at times. and it touches upon so many different forms of hardship. At the same time, I think it's a brilliant description of queer love, poverty and what life in Scotland was like back in the day. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Sexual harassment, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Addiction, Death, Rape, Blood, Homophobia, Violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy

stackedboxes's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is absolutely heartbreaking at times but it is simultaneously beautiful.

Be warned though, this book does contain sexual assault and abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Murder, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Physical abuse, Classism, Pregnancy, and Violence

unreal's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Rape

samstar's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Addiction, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Drug use, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Classism, Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

hypocrisis's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

felt like i was being wrung out like a wet towel, truly gut wrenching passages in there which is why i had to shelve it for a couple of months before reading the second half. there are beautiful moments of hope but you never get to savour them as the inevitable next chapter looms over peaceful scenes like a dark cloud. 
what i love about stuart's work is the realistically complex full characterisation of the families in his books, once again the mother figure sticks out in this regard. definitely worth a read if you can stomach it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Classism, Drug use, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Violence, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Outing, Excrement, Infidelity, and Misogyny

Minor: Death of parent, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

oliviaemily's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Murder, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Classism, Bullying, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Hate crime, Alcohol, Addiction, and War