Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

468 reviews

beverleyh5's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Rape

katmystery's review against another edition

funny inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars. I loved the Netflix adaptation, so I thought I'd give the book a try. I was surprised to find that, while I enjoyed the book, I liked the show a lot more. The show addressed most of the problems I had with the book- the surprisingly little page-time given to the love interest that influenced much of the story (readers didn't really have a reason to care about him), the believing-in-yourself-will-fix-all-your-life-problems feminism that ignored class and race, and the little time given to side characters.

Some of the book was fun and inspiring. More of it was sad, and most of it made me angry- Elizabeth faces so much sexism left and right that it's hard to read.

The book felt extremely heavy-handed in its message and could have been more powerful if it were more subtle. Pretty much all the male characters and several of the women were cartoonishly misogynistic, which actually hurt the message more than it helped- sexism is so often not as obvious as it was depicted here, so by ignoring more subtle forms of sexism, the book accidentally furthers the view that sexism is only a thing of the past.

If you want to read the inspiring albeit sad tale of a dauntless woman in science and don't mind a bit of heavy-handedness, go for it. If you enjoyed the show, the book doesn't add anything you don't already know, so I'd recommend you skip it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Suicide

intrepidheroine's review against another edition

4.0

I found this book interesting and gripping, but my goodness was there a lot of sexual assault.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Child abuse

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, and Suicide

abirej's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.75

How can I even describe how wonderful this book is? Most of the time I stay away from 3rd person omniscient but this is an example of a WELL DONE pov. I adore Elizabeth Zott. This story is told perfectly, everything revealed at e x a c t l y the right time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, Death, Sexual violence, Sexism, Violence, Car accident, and Grief

serenity8576's review against another edition

reflective relaxing fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

snazzy10101's review against another edition

5.0

this book deserves every award it has and more. 
i feel represented by Elizabeth Zott and also by the need to want to know someone who died more than you did when they were alive. 

i’m so emotional. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

mandyjedi's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death, Homophobia, Rape, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Misogyny

Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Racism

gothamballer39's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

It took me a while to get into this book; not because it was uninteresting or poorly written, but because I was so incredibly angry at the almost ceaseless misogyny that the main character just kept facing. 

I'm so glad I stuck it out, though, because it paid off heavily in the end. 

I cried so much for Elizabeth as well as every woman who has been told she "isn't smart enough" or the other myriad ways to say "less than". 

The shifting perspectives (especially Six-Thirty's) made for a well-fleshed out and nuanced build up of the story and I really appreciated the blunt characterizations and descriptions. 

I can see why this book has been hyped up so much. 

It was well worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicide and Sexual violence

patch22's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse and Child death