Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Naiset puhuvat by Miriam Toews

61 reviews

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A text that that gives a humanizing insight on a community that is not as closely examined as it should be. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia

Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Confinement, and Alcoholism

There is a lot of information about Mennonite culture and the story adhering to the assault of the women such community. Please read at your own discretion.

crosberg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is the best book I've read this year (so far).  I'm glad I went in knowing the basic plot, because it definitely deserves a bunch of content warnings and isn't for the faint of heart.  But both the writing itself and the structure, how the story was told, were absolutely masterful.  The perspective choices, the character backgrounds, the jokes and small details, every single choice that Toews made elevates it to the absolute height of what the book is capable of.  The pacing is perfect, tight without being unforgiving.  When I finished reading it I had to lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling for a while so I could process.  An absolute masterpiece.  But please please do pay attention to the content warnings, this book speaks about some of the most difficult subjects I've ever read about in a book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Sexual content

amber_ac's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

I thought this was a very important work that needs to be written about but I just did not personally like the execution. I was not engaged and I wasn’t happy with the ending being about the male narrator’s development rather than the journey of the women. I feel there should have been much more focus on their stories rather than the opinions of a man who wasn’t really connected to the horrific abuse these women suffered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

nkk1017's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

alisonvh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative fast-paced

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

4.0

I'm not sure how I feel about a book called "Women Talking" being narrated by a man, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this book and I'm glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Dementia, and Child abuse

anger566's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Abandonment and Pedophilia

Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death

amismith's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Child abuse

Minor: Rape

dhrutigopaluni's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.25

I had a hard time rating or reviewing this book because on the one hand, I was invested enough to read through the end, but on the other hand, it employs my least favorite writing mechanism. I really struggle with authors who choose to fictionalize a historical occurrence, especially one that is so traumatic. Unless there is explicit documentation, we do not necessarily know how the actual figures felt or what they thought, and to put words in their mouths or their minds seems to me to be vastly disrespectful. I also did not understand or care for the inclusion of the male narrator’s weird obsession with Ona - what was the point of that? I also thought it odd that August was translating all of the dialogue into english for transcription. Why translate in the first place, and why into English? If this originally occurred in Bolivia, and the purpose was to make the minutes more accessible, why wasn’t it translated into Spanish? And if we are to assume that the author has relocated the communities for the purpose of this book, what was the point of that? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

smallcasualbooktok's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

A really difficult and challenging book, but definitely worth a read. I definitely think this is one I will have to re-read to get the full grasp. I loved the format of the book and felt it was really served by the symposium format. The characters were just so well fleshed out and I felt that I could really feel their feelings. Every page of this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. I feel like this is one of the best representations I have ever read of the feelings and lasting trauma for victims of sexual assault. The prose wasn't pretentious or overdramatized, but I was fully crying during several instances at the way Towes was able to give such simple dialogue and sentences an incredible emotional punch. One of my favorites; "Ona...mentions if [all skin on the body is replaced every month], the skin they, the women, had during the attacks is gone now, has been replaced. She smiles." This is not a light read, but 100% a worthwhile read. Fair warning that there is absolutely no plot. It is just women talking about what they are going to do in the aftermath of the violence they faced by members of their community. The only reason I have not given it a 5 is because I'm not sure the overall theme and thesis of the book was served by August's monologue at the end. This may change when I inevitably reread this, although the monologue was incredibly touching, I do feel like it made the novel and the ending for the women lose a little bit of its impact. In many ways, this is a story where I'm not entirely sure I appreciated a male narrator. Granted, the fact that the narrator is male is a huge theme in the book, and his reckoning with members of his own community is an insightful aspect of the book. So, while in this initial reading, I was not entirely won over by this artistic choice, I do see how it forged the path of the novel and definitely added an interesting texture. So, like I said, I'm sticking to my rating now, but may very well change it in a future read, which I will definitely, as I mentioned, need to read this one again. All in all, a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

illegibility's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I love this kind of slow, deliberative character study, but this one didn't quite fit me. I couldn't keep the characters straight for much of the book. Maybe the male narrator was a metacommentary on how, even when women's voices are heard, they are recounted by men, but I still didn't care for his descriptions of rolled-down socks. This all sounds very critical for a book I read in an afternoon, but I do think it succeeds for the most part in what it does and would recommend it - it just wasn't for me, and that's fine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, and Kidnapping