Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons

13 reviews

milliewh'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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual content

laramay_'s review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Suicide

aseel_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

We love a character assassination. This was so good and I loved seeing the events of the play be reflected in the novel, with their twist. The only reason why it didn't get five stars was because

Juliet was alive at the end, I think it would have been powerful to see the entire play be retold and Rosaline's beat efforts fail because that is what often happens in toxic relationships, people can't get out of them

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Grief and Death of parent

fionarose96's review

challenging 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? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

crystalleighwrites's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Drags a bit in some places but a wonderful and feminist update to a classic. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Pandemic = plague

maggies's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.0

I've always loved the idea of revisiting classic literature to examine whether things could've ended differently, and this was so well executed. It manages to be faithful to the original text, pulling direct quotes and recreating scenes, while also changing the story without changing the meaning of it all. I would highly recommend this as a companion to Romeo and Juliet because it really drives home fact that R+J is not a love story. If I had read this in high school alongside the play, I imagine I'd have felt very differently about Romeo! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Minor: Miscarriage, Violence, Blood, and Pregnancy

Rosaline spends a lot of time ruminating on being "spoiled" and "unclean"

as and after she discovers the truth about Romeo.

This was difficult to read, as someone who has struggled with purity culture and sexual assault.

clotalksbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved this exploration into the minor players of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Although it includes the key moments covered in the play, it provides context and background to the scenes we know so well, and in a believable way! I am totally convinced these things were happening behind the scenes. It made me care desperately for characters that I just dismiss in the original, like Tybalt. I shed a fair few tears...

I loved the way women are given power in a time when they appeared to have little say, despite there being a Queen. Not all men are painted as devils though, nor all women as saints, which I liked. It was just so well written, and I'm desperate to read others by the author which I already have on my TBR that have been there too long!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Sexual assault, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

rbrown's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ettegoom's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

4.0

This retelling of Romeo and Juliet brings the story into a completely new light - one that is substantially more disturbing than the modern interpretation would suggest.  It does make me wonder whether reading the play again might bring things to light that are easily glossed over in a time where concepts about informed consent are somewhat less valued than they should be.
I think I like this interpretation, although, as someone who loves the ballet, and always wanted to play Juliet, it also makes me wonder whether there is potential for this more subversive interpretation in the original.
I liked that Rosaline has a voice in this version, although the amount of agency that she acquires seems somewhat inconsistent with her status and state within the story - and the interpretation that she brings to her own, and Juliet's parents is interesting, although it could have been more nuanced. 

The depictions of emotional abuse, manipulation & sexual coersion of immature young women/girls is disturbingly accurate, as is the way that it can be difficult to 'talk sense' into someone caught up in this type of toxic relationship.  
An interesting and worthwhile interpretation of a story which may have been more akin to the original intentation than modern interpretations might suggest? It makes me wonder for sure. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Incest, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

bookishlysophie's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed this alternative take on the Shakespearean classic that we all know well. It’s modern in a sense, although I found I lost interest in areas and the characters occasionally fell flat. I’d still recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Toxic relationship and Violence