Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

284 reviews

yonireadss's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.5

An amazing book that felt so realistic. As you’re reading you can see how this can become a possibility especially as we seem to have gone backwards in womens rights to autonomy. I liked the narrative style and the way she would tell us what she wanted to and felt was important. This helped to make the story seem even more real. The pacing of the book was quite slow and at times I did find myself loosing interest at parts where it seemed unnecessary information, but I can see how it was all important. The way lines from the bible is used to justify the system in Gilead was petrifying. I am still confused about how everything was run but due to the narrator of the story it makes sense as to why we don’t fully understand. I loved seeing things from the narrators perspective as it felt as if I was there and I was discovering the mysteries as they were revealed by her and too her. I really did like this book but I think because of the pacing of the book it took me forever to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

greychanel's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

dgnflue's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence

Minor: Abortion

nickitaylor915's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5⭐️


"The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel that explores themes of gender, power, and oppression. While I found the book to be well-written and thought-provoking, I also found it to be quite bleak and depressing at times. The story is set in a future version of the United States in which a totalitarian regime has taken over and stripped women of their rights. The protagonist, Offred, is a handmaid who is forced to bear children for her assigned male partner. The book is a powerful commentary on the dangers of authoritarianism and the ways in which women's bodies have been used as tools of oppression throughout history.

In terms of its relevance to today's political climate, "The Handmaid's Tale" has become a symbol of resistance against the Trump administration and the erosion of women's rights. The book has been adapted into a popular television series, and has been used as a rallying cry for women's rights activists. While the novel is a work of fiction, it serves as a warning about the dangers of complacency and the importance of fighting for our rights.

Overall, while "The Handmaid's Tale" is a powerful and important book, I found it to be a bit too bleak and depressing for my tastes. However, I would still recommend it to anyone interested in dystopian fiction, feminist literature, or political commentary. 

Summary:

"The Handmaid's Tale" is a dystopian novel set in a future version of the United States in which a totalitarian regime has taken over and stripped women of their rights. The book explores themes of gender, power, and oppression, and is a powerful commentary on the dangers of authoritarianism. The novel has become a symbol of resistance against the Trump administration and the erosion of women's rights, and has been used as a rallying cry for women's rights activists. While the book is a work of fiction, it serves as a warning about the importance of fighting for our rights and resisting complacency.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

pixelited's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War

jessicaa_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

eve_kadou's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War

Minor: Homophobia

dev921's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Deportation

roxxie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Gemischte Gefühle über Der Report der Magd

Es ist unbestritten, dass Der Report der Magd von Margaret Atwood eine faszinierende Handlung hat und einen tiefen Einblick in eine düstere dystopische Welt bietet. Jedoch habe ich unterschiedliche Empfindungen nach dem Lesen des Buches, was zu einer Bewertung von drei Sternen führt.

Der Report der Magd ♦ Margaret Atwood

Meinung

Die dystopische Perspektive, die Atwood in dem Roman geschaffen hat, ist zweifellos einer der wichtigsten Aspekte. Die Welt von Der Report der Magd ist realistisch, düster und beklemmend. Denn die Autorin schafft es, eine Atmosphäre von Kontrolle und Unterdrückung zu schaffen, die mich, als Leserin, zum Nachdenken angeregt hat, besonders im Hinblick auf aktuelle Ereignisse der letzten Jahre, wenn wir einen Blick über den großen Teich werfen.

Trotzdem fand ich einige Handlungen der Hauptfigur Desfred schwierig zu verstehen. Es war schwierig, eine tiefere Verbindung zu ihr aufzubauen, weil ihre Handlungen manchmal unlogisch oder nicht ausreichend motiviert schienen. Dieser Mangel an Verständnis für die Beweggründe der Hauptfigur beeinträchtigte meine Gesamterfahrung mit dem Buch erheblich.

Der Schreibstil von Margaret Atwood ist ein weiterer Faktor, der meine Bewertung beeinflusst. Trotz der anspruchsvollen und literarischen Sprache fand ich den Schreibstil nicht immer flüssig genug. Viele Abschnitte waren überladen, was es schwierig machte, in die Geschichte einzutauchen. Ein flüssigerer Schreibstil hätte das Lesen für mich sicherlich angenehmer gemacht.

Fazit

Zusammenfassend ist Der Report der Magd von Margaret Atwood in jeder Hinsicht ein einzigartiges und bedeutendes Werk, das wichtige Themen anspricht. Obwohl die dystopische Welt und die düstere Atmosphäre beeindruckend sind, haben die unklaren Handlungen der Protagonistin und der nicht immer flüssige Schreibstil meine Gesamteinschätzung des Buches beeinträchtigt. Daher vergebe ich drei Sterne, die aber nicht als negativ einzustufen sind.


This review was first published at The Art of Reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

roseisvibing's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol