Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

37 reviews

jacquelynjoan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-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

4.5

I don't usually read dystopias, but I thought I should read this one. It was brutal and I think Butler wanted to make us consider the terrible consequences the decisions of those in power and the indifference of the rest of us could have, but I don't think she wanted to give us nightmares. It wasn't exploitative or gratuitous, but it was grim. I am glad I didn't try to read this when I was depressed or unmedicated for my anxiety or when I was going through my existential crisis. I am able now.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism, Rape, Racism, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

ryann_400's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence

mscalls's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, Ableism, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

azazellos_fang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Slavery, and Trafficking

Moderate: Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Medical trauma, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

amelreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Torture, Child death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Blood

Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Trafficking

Minor: Transphobia, Medical trauma, Racism, Ableism, and Animal death

alicea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I can't work out how I feel about this. Part of my problem is that this was just a thoroughly depressing and disturbing book. And that makes it hard for me to say that I necessarily liked it. I felt so tense reading it that I would leave it for days without going back to it. Honestly, I went into this book pretty blindly and in retrospect I don't think a dystopian apocryphal novel was what I was looking for or in the mood for while still in the midst of a global pandemic. 

Needless to say, I won't be continuing the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Racism, Medical trauma, Addiction, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Violence

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Incest, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence