Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

9 reviews

yellow_star's review

dark medium-paced

This was terrifying to me, I think I read it too young. (No one forced me to read it, I borrowed an older kid's assigned reading) 

The little boy getting in trouble for not wanting to have child sex, as a preteen child myself at the time I read this, was deeply disturbing. I'd caution you to recommend  this only to older teens (though of course if they choose to read this themselves that's another matter as smart kids will drop it if it becomes too much.)

Of course this is still unsettling to older readers, but it shouldn't be traumatizing to most people 15+. The unsettled feeling instead should make you consider government control of a population and how much is too much, and if you think a little creatively you can apply the novel to make connections of companies and governments and stalker peers spying on you and trying to control you in the modern era. 

The book just isn't for me because I was too upset by that first reading. If you can't emotionally get through political commentary dystopia books then this probabl  isn't a great fit. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, and Torture

chrisljm's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Medical content, Misogyny, Alcohol, Racism, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Body shaming

Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Stalking

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Vomit, and War

nicnocs511's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Self harm, Suicide, Drug use, Addiction, Classism, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Alcoholism

jenna_justi2004's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Rape, Pregnancy, Slavery, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexism, and Torture

karol99's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Extremely interesting read, especially drawing comparisons to a capitalistic society as well as progress seen and made in 2022

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Sexual content, and Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Genocide, Blood, Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Torture, Grief, War, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Drug use

Minor: Abortion and Suicide

sprinumter's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Huxley wrote this book 80 years ago and there are components of the story that are remnacent of today’s society. We are still working toward this classist, “perfect“, everybody-is-happy-because-they-know-their-place, all-for-the-greater-good, society.  It is scary to think that technology may eventually get to the point where people are just conditioned to be happy living in a systematically oppressed society based on being a delta or a gamma, least ye be an alpha or beta. The first time I read this book was in high school and it is surprising to me that I did not make the connections that I have now 10 years later. Even if you have read this before, try rereading it again to see how your views have changed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Physical abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, and Violence

jai_martin's review

fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide and Torture

Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Racism

kirame's review

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• 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: Suicide

Minor: Torture, Violence, Sexual content, Death, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

madmilliner's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

0.25

This book is gross. It is meant to be a warning against excess, and the pursuit of happiness above all else,  but, is so unnerving and bizarre that it just feels campy, and emotionally manipulative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit