Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Defending Jacob

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Defending Jacob by William Landay

8 reviews

kamrynkoble's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

2024 reread:
My husband and I listened to the audiobook . . . WOW. If I never have to hear “Loguidice” in a transatlantic accent again, it’ll be too soon. I didn’t realize how much mental skimming of the court cases you can do, until I had to listen to every. Single. Word.

We also think this should be called Defending Fatphobia. I swear I don’t remember the ebook being like this, to the point that I wonder if the publisher updated the ebook but not the audio. I couldn’t even begin to count the fatphobic comments. It has to be over 50, MINIMUM. Everyone’s fat, men’s “tits” strain against polos, teenagers have skirts of fat around their middle, and are delightfully confident even if they’re “pudgy.” I’m not kidding, this man notices every single person’s weight, and everyone in this town must not be as much of a skinny legend as Andy Barber. I’d be shocked if there were any chapters he DIDN’T mention someone’s weight. My husband and I would laugh every time it was so bad.

All that to say 🤪 I genuinely didn’t remember the ending, so I was in for the ride all over again. I think we would’ve been way happier reading this instead of listening. You know, also, a little less commentary on preteen/teen girls’ stomachs.

2021:

Wow, wow, wow. I’ve been meaning to read this book for years, and it was quite the trip. If you like legal/courtroom/crime novels, this book will be perfect for you. It’s definitely a page turner. The voice is so unique as well, and I loved the descriptions. Normally I skim, but I found myself devouring it.

It’s not a perfect book, I would’ve cut some here and fleshed out more there. But my heart was racing as I read in bed, constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was a great opener to 2021!

Content Warnings

brtvajes1's review

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emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

mheiling's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Content Warnings

lilias's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

Morality, and all its complexity, is at the center of this book, but Landay never preaches. It is a compulsively readable book. I really did not know what to expect in the oncoming pages, making this book a respite of sorts in the wide world of murder in fiction. It’s not a “whodunit,” but I was invested in finding out how Landay’s story would play out.

Content Warnings