Reviews with content warning for Body horror - The Power

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

75 reviews

marykatesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

WOW.
for the first third or maybe half of the book i felt like i was reading a good book but not connecting, or maybe missing something. then as the plot started to develop at a faster pace it felt like i couldn’t look away from the car crash that the characters were headed into. i LOVE that alderman didn’t just create a feminine utopia with her work. instead she called into question the belief that power, when wielded by women, is good and positive. the ending was a shocking but oddly perfect end for the characters and their stories, and the emails at the end framing it in a new perspective… just woah. it made me go back and flip through the book with this new view.
my only issue with the book is how graphic some of the violence and rape was. this isn’t a criticism though because i think it added to the strength of the plot and the comparison to modern rape-culture. that being said, it was still difficult to get through some of those moments, probably because it was evoking memories of actual situations that women currently face. it was so easy to visualize the scenes in this book with the genders flipped since that is how it normally is.
overall, i thought this was a phenomenal book because it didn’t just use feminine rage as an outlet for pent up anger about EVERYTHING. alderman took the opportunity to highlight feminine rage while also pointing out the flaws that can accompany power, especially when it’s at the expense of others.
i wish there was more of each character. i want more chapters telling me more about them as people and what their lives are like outside of the snippets in the book. ugh it was so good.

Content Warnings

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

Fucking 10/10
‘Its like shes died but shes still too alive to notice.’
‘

Content Warnings

ninaevan's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Woah. This is one of those books that you read and instantly know it’s gonna change your world. I was gripped from the start and couldn’t put it down. The characters were great- I loved how there were so many different perspectives on the story and each was equally intriguing. The plot and thesis behind this book is so complex that I don’t think I could do it justice in this format, but given the time I could probably write a book of my my own on it or teach a class or something… definitely worth a reread or two to really unpack what’s going on here. All good things.

The only ways I would want to challenge this story to push it a little further would be by asking to explore how the rage and violence of women might have varied in different cultures or races or how the culture/race of the men impacted the way they were treated… Also, I want to know more about the role of non-traditional gender in this society- how we’re Trans women treated? Where did non-binary people fit into the social order? I understand that the physical power is sex-based, but I want to know how gender identity played a role too. Though the book is already treading very precarious ground here so I understand why Alderman may not have wanted to cross too many boundaries.

I loved the format, the countdown, the illustrations, the debate of the book within the book etc.

My only last comment for prospective readers is to heed the content warnings! This books is very graphic about many sensitive issues so please go into it prepared for a challenging read.

My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad

Content Warnings