Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

11 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

My only disgruntle is the format. I generally dislike stories that go back and forth on a timeline, but I really dislike inserting a story inside another where it’s mostly a plot device to tell the story. If one is to be folded into another, I prefer it to be better integrated and for each layer to be strong egg to stand alone not also tightly knit in each other. Because of the way it was written here, there were numerous stands that could tell a story on their own, but they really weren’t knit together enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Racism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, War, Confinement, and Violence

bekahgern's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I wish I could get back the hours I wasted reading this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Domestic abuse

shannonm306's review

dark emotional funny 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

After reading Prince of Tides I can’t wait to watch the movie. This was a beautiful sad story. Conroy wrote a realistic description of mental health and how trauma manifests in different people. Tom is an adoring brother who loves his sister very much and there’s evidence throughout the story that all he wants to do his help her, but isn’t sure how. The ending was unexpected, but still very well written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Blood, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Bullying, and Animal death

cschatz2017's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

Dragged slightly in the middle but overall an incredible read !! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Rape

chyneyee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

The writing style and descriptions are superbly beautiful. It has an expansive vocabulary, and I gave up looking for the meanings unless necessary. Although beautifully written, it can be long-winded and crowded with superfluous details. I ignore the bigotry jokes (due to the geographical history and publishing year) so that it does not contribute to my rating. It's a solid story that reflects the author's life. 

I strongly dislike the main character Tom because he has full of unfunny jokes, self-pity, and is an egotistical person. In fact, there are no loveable characters in this story, and Luke probably is the only one that can be slightly more acceptable than others. I feel Savannah is very observant and sees more things than others in the family. It's a family tragedy, or according to Savannah in the story, it's a very screwed-up family. Both Luke and Savannah are fighters but not Tom.

I'm very conflicted and in a dilemma in rating this book. It's a good story if ignoring the racist and sexist jokes plus long-winded details, which deserves a 4 out of 5. But I don't like wordy books, and I don't like most of the characters, especially Tom. Maybe it's 3.5 out of 5?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Domestic abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Antisemitism

Minor: Rape and Suicide attempt

drbex's review

challenging dark 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

2.0

It did eventually start to grow on me, but there was too many instances of the n word for a book written in the 80s (even if the story began in the 1940s) and that really almost had me putting the whole thing down. It was also unnecessarily long. I'm all for added exposition, but I think the story could have been told fully in about 400 pages instead of almost 700. 

I read this for Coach Beard's Book Club (a Ted Lasso book podcast) otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished it. I don't get why it's Dr. Sharon's favorite book unless her claim that this was her favorite was tongue in cheek because Ted said his favorite was Fountain Head. Or maybe she considered it a collection of infinite case studies for therapists! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Racial slurs, Self harm, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse

martinelecorff's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

although some of the themes did not age well, this book is magnificent. i will carry its story and characters with me for a long long time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Racism, Child abuse, Death, and Murder

jessie_roz's review

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: War

writingcaia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The story, the writing, the setting, the characters… I’m awed and in love.
“My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.”
Thus starts this tale.
A story of a man who wants to save his thrice suicide attempting twin sister and in doing so with the help of her therapist, and in the midst of a quasi-divorce, ends up saving himself by recounting the amazing and terrible upbringing in an idillic island on the marshes of Colleton South Carolina, of his incredible and brutal family, the raging abusive veteran father, the deceitful cunning mother, the pious good hearted grandfather, the adventurer passionate grandmother, his strong and beautiful older brother - the prince of tides, his twin the artist, the genius, the mad, and of himself and his terrible fault of trying to be conforming and sane amidst insanity. 
The words are poetry and they take you down the path of Tom Wingo and his love for the south and his family, even when there’re as many reasons to love and to hate it.
The racist south, that is also so homecoming, the beautiful marshes, the oysters and shrimp always on the table, the otters and dolphins, the sunsets, the salty and tanned skin, the brine and mud, the wonderful nature, and the isolation that can be peaceful and treacherous.
One of my favourite things is the desperate honest need Tom has to be helped, and how finally he gets the will to procure it and be better, and fix himself as best he can.
A road to beauty, joy, hate, love, brutality, violence, love, madness and fantasy. It was a joy and wonder to follow this road through the author’s words, and I can’t wait to read more from him.

P. S.: some may say it has a lot of purple prose but for me it is just poetic and wonderful, able to conjure all the feelings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Child abuse, Animal death, Racism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: War and Antisemitism

easpenceva's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Racism, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Animal death, Self harm, and Suicide attempt