Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

8 reviews

al_davies_jones's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Vomit, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

sarahkheeter's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I’m feeling really impacted by other people’s bad/unimpressed reviews. Initially I felt this book was unbearably slow, but it got better once the men show up (this is in the synopsis, so no spoilers). It definitely picks up and interested me much more after that point. The mystery around the characters and in the backdrop of the main plot is really interesting and dark. I’m not sure anything about this is inspiring, empowering, or even really insightful, but it’s certainly critical of patriarchal control and toxicity and shattering and has a lot of shock value. I think it had potential to be mind blowing and life alteringly good, but instead I would say it’s just dark, mysterious, and fascinating. Don’t read spoilers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Xenophobia, Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Incest

schorlett's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Incest, Death of parent, Self harm, Violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Gun violence, and Pregnancy

schromrgn's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence

agustdefault's review

challenging dark slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

i loved the way this was written. i know there are a lot of complaints about the ending being so vague but i actually kind of liked it. especially since the reader only has as much knowledge as the sisters. incredibly haunting and definitely one i will think of often

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Torture, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Child abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Grief, Gun violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Incest

nabila99's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

 my first thought as i read this was: i don’t understand why the average rating for this book is so low!

the water cure is a gorgeously written and atmospheric exploration of abuse, trauma, family dynamics, loneliness, and survival as women. we follow the lives of three sisters, mainly the elder two, in their isolated, cult-like family that has convinced them that men are mortal threats to them, and that their abusive “therapies” are the only way to remain strong and unaffected. except one day, when a trio of men arrive on their island, testing their resolve. 

this is not an easy book to read - the abuse detailed in it is graphic, and the pain, loneliness and stockholm syndrome of the sisters is very heavy. i’m not a big fan of the revelations or the ending, and i wouldn’t call this a “feminist dystopia”, but i was enthralled by this slow-paced, eerie, heartbreaking story.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, and Drug use

Minor: Suicide

annablume's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The second part was a bit of a slog for me but I loved the ending. A lot of untied ends and completely unreliable narrators.
The prose is phenomenal, dreamy, very of its setting, but the narrating characters have uniquely deleveloped voices.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, and Torture

deezy's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Self harm, Gaslighting, Grief, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Miscarriage and Gun violence