Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Germinal by Émile Zola

4 reviews

adelekittey's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

bookwormcat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Child death, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Rape, Bullying, Grief, Stalking, and Physical abuse

shieldbearer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this because it was on Suzanne Collins' list of favorite books and I can absolutely see why. I can think of several scenes in the Hunger Games that this book likely influenced.  This book is, above all else, a cautionary tale: any leftist revolution must beware two pitfalls; the first being the desire to replace and not eradicate the masters, the second being infighting. 

In many ways, this book reminds me of the best of Stephen King. Zola is not interested in sanitizing characters. He is interested in telling the story of humans- messy, imperfect, often terrible, often selfless, humanity. Violence is not just the impact of force upon flesh and bone, it is the deprivation and exploitation of human beings. Germinal is the story of how abject, desperate poverty can influence a person.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Domestic abuse, Dementia, Alcohol, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Medical content, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Ableism, Infertility, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Police brutality, Child death, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Sexual assault

justanotherayesha's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, and Violence