Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

The Well of Loneliness: The Classic of Lesbian Fiction by Radclyffe Hall

6 reviews

bethanwx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

The first half of this book is worthy of 5 stars. Stephen's relationships with Philip and Puddle are so beautifully written, and Hall really makes you root for Stephen. However, the book later conveys a white supremacist outlook held by Hall. For a book which advocates for the acceptance of queer people, the inhumane description of black characters is not only disgusting but is itself antithetical to the novel's advocation. The novel's depiction of Mary also feels incomplete. She is used as a porn by everyone, including Stephen, who is attracted to her young and naivite, even noticing that she looks younger than her age in a troubling age difference trope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Fatphobia, Suicide, Sexism, Death of parent, Death, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Pedophilia

libraryofindra's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, War, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Sexism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Medical content

cowboylikestoread43's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Lesbophobia

audreymetcalf's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Grief

tired_ghost's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Such a hearbreaking book, Stephen's — the main character's — struggles with her gender expression and sexuality felt very close to me, being a non-feminine lesbian myself, it was such an intimate experience to read my own thoughts on the pages of the book. Won't go into spoilers, but I really loved sweet and tender moments between Stephen and her loved one, some scenes made my heart melt and my cheeks hurt from all the smiling. I loved the way love was portrayed as something gentle, tender and cozy, it felt very authentic and matched my own experiences with love. I didn't give the book 5 stars, because I didn't like the treatment of the characters of colour in one chapter, it just felt racist to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Suicide, Chronic illness, and War

Minor: Outing, War, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail

thepucegoose's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found this novel pretty fascinating from a social history perspective, particularly when considering early 20th century conceptions of queer, experiences of gender dysphoria and the way in which identity relating to this was conceptualised. It also gives an insight into the communities and lives of those who we might now consider to be transmasculine and their partners at the time the novel was written. If that sounds like your jam, I'd highly reccommend this novel as a really curious and engaging read. Stephen is a compelling protagonist, although the other characters are somewhat less developed; however, given the book's focus on Stephen's identity as the central element, this isn't a significant detriment. This novel also has an interesting consideration of the dynamics that can exist between a mother and her queer child that I think many will find relatable to this day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Misogyny

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

this novel does not have a happy ending

a minor queer character dies