Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

45 reviews

firiel_earth_maiden's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child death, and Sexual violence

sarahschwehn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, and Death

Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Pedophilia, Grief, Torture, and Trafficking

Minor: Slavery, Vomit, War, Violence, Abandonment, Cancer, Genocide, Gun violence, and Infertility

jpbarberis's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Vomit

eemott's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Sexual assault, Excrement, Grief, Child death, Death, Rape, and Sexual violence

cloud_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Rape, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, Vomit, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Drug use, and Kidnapping

Minor: Pregnancy

annabrietta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Vomit

reenelou's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I wanted it to be more gorey. 

There was so much exposition at the begining and it felt like the last part of the book was rushed, the horror element was more implied than gratuitous and gd I wanted to witness the true horror of the surgery, hasta'akala, emillo underwent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Murder, Mental illness, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Blood, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Colonisation, Animal death, and Torture

mdiffer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I should hate this book. Yet I couldn't put it down near the end. 
A heartbreaking nightmare that was deeply terrifying to me in unexpected ways. It's about all the ways that "first contact" with alien cultures could go wrong. Intercultural misunderstandings and cultural contamination. But it's also about a Catholic Jesuit finding his god and absolution through a horrible experience.  
It was almost cathartic to finish. I'm shooketh.
Kudos to author Mary Doria Russell for writing this horror masterpiece-- you almost scared 'god' into this atheist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Violence, Mental illness, Ableism, and Slavery

Minor: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

ericaburns1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

My favorite book. I think about it all the time. DW Yarbrough is my best friend.

”the Good Lord decided to make DW Yarbrough a Catholic, a liberal, ugly and gay and a fair poet, and then had him born in Waco, Texas. Now I ask you, is the work a serious Deity?” the greatest sentence written in all of literature.

BUT THE SPARROW STILL FALLS. I think about that all the time.

This book has shaped me. It is horrific, moving, funny, devastating. Religious tones and discussions but done from all sorts of perspectives: catholic, jewish, agnostic, atheistic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual violence, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Violence, Rape, and Suicide

captain_will's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical trauma and Murder