Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

13 reviews

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

pagesofash's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Colonisation, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, War, Police brutality, and Torture

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

rachelko's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Sexual assault

maxhimelhoch's review against another edition

funny fast-paced

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

4.0

Bulawayo's writing is so sick. Right up my alley - changing form, changing perspective. Chapters of thoughts, chapters of tweets, all sorts of voices from the nation pouring out. But more than anything, it's the cyclical repetition that is mesmerizing and so effective. 

It's incredibly funny both within and beyond satirical moments, but filled with the true lived in heart that is the political landscape of 2023. Something that, 10 years ago would've felt like farce, now hits too close to home. Not a word wasted trying to empathize or heal bad characters, all the love is saved for the good animals. The evils painted clearly as such. Laughed at as such. 

Well done start to finish :) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

kers_tin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Classism, Colonisation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Animal death

faduma's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, and Trafficking

mappy's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful slow-paced

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

4.75

What a phenomenal book. The breadth and ambition is astounding as Bulawayo successfully paints a picture of the terror, hope and complexity of a dictatorial regime, a corrupt revolution, and the effects of a colonial past - both at a societal level and for every individual.

What stands out is the role technology plays in liberation, religion's place in the toolbox of oppressors, and how a regime cannot prosper without the support of those who are the long hand of the law. The narrative voice embodies the oral tradition of those who dream of revolution and the power of grassroots action in communities that have endured so much.

This is dark and challenging, but often entertaining in its satire. While not my highest rated, and having read only half of the longlist so far, Glory is my pick for winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction. It would take a powerful contender to usurp its position at the top of my list.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Police brutality, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Homophobia

yeahnaar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

The book’s content should induce anger and sadness, while also inspiring, but it is so badly executed that you feel very little while reading it. It feels like it was several different ideas mashed together without forethought. There are gripping, engaging moments throughout, but they are few and far between. I left the book feeling like I’ve gained nothing but lost time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Rape, and Sexual assault

orla_h's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Murder, Gun violence, Violence, Police brutality, Rape, Physical abuse, Grief, War, and Death

mariah_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark informative 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

2.0

This was a hard read, but I also learned a lot and it forced me to educate myself. It needed to be cut by 100 pages, and maybe should have been short stories. But there were gripping vignettes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, War, Violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Police brutality