Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Açucar queimado by Avni Doshi

35 reviews

kelreadsbooks's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Sexual assault and Adult/minor relationship

sarahna's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

3 stars.

I see why this was long-listed for the women's prize of fiction. It's a deeply unsettling story that's written in a shockingly direct way and towards the end it even felt like a horror novel. Was Tara suffering from dementia or did she do so to torment and control her daughter Antara even more? The ending felt somewhat unsatisfying by not revealing an answer and the mention of some bodily fluid on every other page was unsettling. 
Still, this story can be analyzed and discussed pretty easily since everyone's a morally grey character and while I did feel with Antara for most of the story even she was unlikable at times. Mixed feelings but overall a read that makes you reflect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming

waywithwords's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Body shaming

tieganljohnston'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, Dementia, Eating disorder, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

ntvenessa's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A caustic and provocative telling of a toxic mother-daughter relationship and how they navigate an Alzheimer's diagnosis. Set in Pune.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Rape

literarylaila's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Dementia, Fatphobia, Excrement, and Pregnancy

amna_a's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Dementia, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

kayleyhyde's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Body shaming

Minor: Fatphobia

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I normally enjoy books which are on the more unusual side and tend to make people feel uncomfortable but this one was a bit hit and miss for me.

I enjoyed how Doshi looked at the almost toxic relationship between the character and the mother and thought how she looked back through the different time frames worked well. She made me question at times who was at fault in that moment and what actually did happen in reality.
I also really enjoyed how Doshi displayed just how effected people can be from events in their childhood without at times realising those effects themselves.

However I found I couldn't warm to or connect with any of the characters and found the stereotypical characterization of the "Indians vs Westerners" to be over the top, caricaturistic and wildly negative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood

Minor: Animal cruelty

_lia_reads_'s review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Dementia, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship