Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

House of Cotton by Monica Brashears

53 reviews

kylehepp4267's review

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Best book I’ve read so far this year. It has that Isabel Allende-esque surrealism turned Southern Gothic, with a main character who contains multitudes and brings you into her world so completely she makes you believe her ghosts are real. This book was the continual heart break of a life in poverty but the struggle was not the story, it was the background that informed Magnolia and her choices, or a secondary character, there waiting in the wings to pounce. 

Anyway, phenomenal writing. One of those books that blows my mind because I can’t believe something this creative and beautiful lived inside somebody’s head! 
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daradarklord's review

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I gave this book a few chances. The writing is beautiful, I love the theme the author was conveying. I love Cigarette Sammy. I had to decide that my heart couldn’t handle the sexual violence or hyper sexuality the main character displayed. I hope all turned out well for this chracter in the end, my heart was truly with her. I had to stop reading for my own mental health. I’m interested in other books Monica Brashears will hopefully write though!
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stiorra's review against another edition

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dark 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

1.5

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randareads's review

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dark sad tense medium-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

2.75

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thanksfrthemoomeries's review

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challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

1.5

I have no idea what the plot of this book was. They end up right where they started and nothing of substance actually happened. I felt like I was reading badly written smut with stereotypical characters that had no real weight to them. The characters weren’t fully fleshed out or likable in anyway. There was something archaic about the descriptions in this book, which painted an older time period, but apparently it’s modern day. This book made no sense and I do not see what the “point” of this story was, because entertainment certainly wasn’t.
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saint_eleanor's review

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was so fucking good 
The writing is amazing and the characters feel so real. I loved that the main character’s sexuality/need for sex was maintained throughout the whole book as something that was important to her and not a ‘vice’, which is rare in novels i feel. I hated
the scenes with cotton tho, bc hes way older i thought??
. A couple plot points were lost on me in the end (
the cricket stuff, and the stuff w her dead/unborn baby ?)
but ultimately this is a really triumphant book, no gods no masters vibe. Super unique and creative premise and the setting is so realistic it felt like something that really happened.
I also loved her friendship with Cigarette Sammy, i just found her character to be so well written.

“How many goddamn swallowed thoughts can a woman take, before her insides rupture?”
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mariel_not_muriel's review

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

1.0

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cecetomas's review against another edition

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I really wanted to like this book but it somehow got weirder but also more boring. SA and pregnancy being the two biggest plot points also really isn't for me.
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funguyreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book has a slowly unfolding creepiness that is incredibly engaging. 
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easefcik's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-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

The writing was beautiful and vulnerable. The lived experience of the main character was painful and honest. I kept me reading compulsively, but I can’t say I really enjoyed it. 
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