Reviews tagging 'War'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

192 reviews

allyjshand's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Power was darker and more graphic than I was expecting, although I can’t fault that as that’s more of a personal preference. I loved the premise and found the power subversions seen throughout the book clever although often challenging to read. I also enjoyed the format of the book with the different POVs, the emails, and images as they added something different. Having said that, I felt like the relationships between characters were sometimes weak, perhaps bringing them together sooner would have helped this. I also didn’t enjoy the ending as I didn’t really understand the characters’ motives. Overall a mixed bag and a three star read for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Gore, Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: War, Death of parent, Cursing, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use

mkegley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Gore, War, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Trafficking and Gun violence

Minor: Drug abuse

bestkasescenario's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

Loved it! The ending felt a little rushed and it didn’t feel “complete” but I still loved the book in its entirety. Excellent storytelling & I did find it a little Atwood-esque which made sense at the end to learn that Atwood mentored Alderman. Stoked to watch the show, I hope it lives up to the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Slavery, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

smite2000's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Hate crime, War, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Violence

bookwormcat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Rape, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

dnietoperafan's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book, I ended up with mixed feelings. 

The Power is first and foremost a critique, not a 'what if' type of book. I started reading it as a 'what if' type of novel, which is how it was marketed, but I quickly realised, I don't think this was Alderman's intent. The gore, the violence, the misuse of power... I don't think Alderman believes women (as a group) would make these mistakes after knowing what it is to be on the other side of it. That's why I continued reading The Power as a critique to our current patriarchal society.

Alderman fully swaps how patriarchy currently works, and puts women in those rotten positions of power. She completely mirrors today's horrors (which I believe wouldn't happen if women suddenly got electric powers). Which is why so many people who read this book are appalled. So please, read this book knowing it's a critique and not a 'what if'.

So how come I rated it a 3-star and not a 4-star? As a story, The Power was just a bit bland for me. The plethora of characters was interesting at first, but there wasn't anything deep in them. Their development felt quite superficial, and I didn't care for them. So critique-wise, amazing book; story-wise, it could have definitely been better. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, War, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Torture, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual harassment

sapphireb22's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

1.0

This book was recommended as a dystopian book and it really was not good. Set in the future where a man is asking female to read his story. Story is set 5k years in past  depicting the rise of women in power over men. If you like books about rape, politics, and religion taking over this is your book. If you want to escape the reality of today and how it already has crap politics, rape, and pushy religion skip this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicide, Abortion, Child abuse, Murder, War, and Trafficking

wasabipopsicle's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Reads more like historical horror. I wish that the book explored alternative distributions of power  but I don't think that's the intention.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, War, and Violence

mthornburg13's review

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Hate crime, Sexual violence, Sexism, Murder, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Drug abuse, War, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, and Child abuse

paigerini's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

I read this for class as a part of a book club with some of my classmates.

This book has multi-faceted, dynamic characters, a captivating plot, and an interesting concept of "What if only women had electricity powers?" This story shows how society would change (and fall apart) if women became the "stronger" sex, with all the political, social, and religious turmoil that comes along with it.

I've heard that some people criticize this book for being too pessimistic or portraying women as too destructive, but I believe that is the point. This portrayal is supposed to be exaggerated to further enhance how sexism plays a part in both our society and this apocalyptic one.

For me, this was an amazing read. I like that it is abrasive and controversial, as some of the best books strike up the best conversations. I should check out some of Alderman's other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Violence, Drug use, Murder, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Sexism and Trafficking