Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Binding by Bridget Collins

31 reviews

hawkelf's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book was a slow start for me, due to the amount of characters very loudly Not Saying Something to the main. But the descriptions of bookbinding (both familiar and magical) were beautiful and compelling, and the goodreads reviews were questionable, so I carried on. 

This book unwinds melancholic through three parts, with the middle at the beginning, the beginning in the middle, and a POV change for the end, but I think it works. If you're fond of the backstory sections of Black Sails, you'll like this too. It takes place at the beginning of the machination of industry in England, though that has little to do with it. It's a love story, and a story about how power can be - and would be, was, and is - abused by the powerful and money hungry. It has a quiet sense of strength and preservation, and hope. It has its heavy moments, and for sure period typical homophobia, though, so check the cw.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Classism, and Rape

Minor: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

kaiiyo's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

A joy to read that left me quietly weeping in the bath
Wonderful characters and beautifully evocative writing 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Minor: Classism

prettycloud's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

This book has a lot going on. It's got the good historical fiction atmospherics—scenic rural landscape, old bookbinder's workshop—but it's grounded in real human interactions, with flawed characters making difficult choices. It deals with some really heavy topics—trauma, homophobia, assault, to name a few—but it's not relentlessly gloomy. It's a weird hybrid of coming of age, mystery, and romance. The first part feels like a quest for truth, like how Chasing Vermeer felt when I was a kid. There's a sense of wonder even among the awful things people do to one another, and there is beauty and hope. The latter part becomes darker and romancier: if you've read or watched Fingersmith or The Handmaiden, there's some of that energy, though without the masterminding. Would recommend if you like that sort of thing, or time loop or memory loss stories. I think part of the polarization of reviews is because this is such a teenage story even if it has more adult themes. Another reviewer here described it as a Drarry fic with the serial numbers filed off—I don't know whether that's true, but describes the vibe very well and could be useful in deciding whether to check it out.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Animal death

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Rape, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexism, Kidnapping, Classism, Sexual content, Murder, and Body shaming

There are some really awful and messed-up characters in this book who have a lot of power in their classist, sexist society. The main protags make mistakes and are really angry and traumatized through a lot of this, but aren't doing any of the really awful stuff. They experience homophobia, emotional abuse/gaslighting, and physical abuse

from their families

.

A beloved authority figure

dies. We watch

a beloved animal

get killed during the kidnapping. But the overall tone is hopeful.

maeverose's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Edit: I just found out the author is a terf, so I removed my rating. But I’ll leave the review for now. :/

TL;DR: I love the concept of this book so much, I really liked the romance, the writing style is hit and miss for me, why does everyone have to interrupt each other in every conversati—

                    The Concept

I love the idea of binding people’s memories into a book to remove them from their mind. I love how this book explores that. It’s just so cool to me. As disturbing as it is to read, I like that it explores the horrible ways people could take advantage of that system.

                   The Romance

I liked it a lot. I tend to prefer books without romance side plots because they often feel tacked on and underdeveloped, but the romance in this one is a crucial part in the overall story, and I really liked how it was done.

I liked the progression of Emmett’s feelings for Lucian. The way it was written I genuinely wasn’t sure how that was gonna go at first. The slow progression of hate to attraction without Emmett even seeming to recognize it as attraction at first. Idk I just liked that. And the dance scene !! I almost wish they explored how Emmett being a binder effects their relationship being as Lucian hates binders, but also I don’t like relationship angst so I don’t entirely mind that it was kinda just dropped.

                        Writing

The prose worked for me sometimes, not other times. I generally like pretty prose if it’s done well, and for the most part this was. It had a very gothic atmosphere, which I always love. But I felt it was a little over written here and there, and that both took me out of the scene sometimes and slowed the pacing at times where it seemed like it should’ve been a more fast paced scene (namely, the very end). The last 30% was pretty slow. And a more subjective dislike: It focuses a lot on the unattractive things in a scene, and for some reason that often meant lots of bodily fluids… It was mentioned excessively and unnecessarily and I just don’t like that writing choice.

                  Plot Structure

I really like how we start out following Emmett after he’s been bound, then the way he eventually finds out, immediately leading into part two which is entirely just his memory. I definitely liked part three the least, but I think part three had to have been from Lucian’s pov or it wouldn’t’ve worked. And I definitely didn’t mind it. I think it could grow on me after a re read. Overall I just think the way the plot was structured was really smart.

                      Dislikes

       My number one pet peeve was that in almost every. single. conversation. someone had to interrupt someone else mid sentence. It happened so often and half the time it made no sense why they interrupted the other person. I counted 22 times in the first chapter alone… I don’t know how the editors didn’t suggest changing that. It was so annoying.

       It wouldn’t be a review from me if I didn’t point out the ableism! This one was just little comments here and there (e.g: a comment about becoming a ‘drooling lunatic’, calling someone ‘simple’, calling a disabled person useless), always from the main Characters’ pov (mostly Emmett’s, I think), always uncorrected. I know it’s probably supposed to be ‘fitting of the time period’ but leaving those out literally would’ve changed nothing. I’m tired of reading historical fiction/fantasy and always seeing shit like that. Those comments are still harmful.

There was also a plot point that was just dropped that I felt needed more explanation.

When Emmett used that weird voice to tell off the people who wanted to burn Seredith’s house down, it was only brought up again once. When Emmett brought it up to Seredith she basically told him ‘that was nothing’. But it definitely seemed like something..? He seemed almost possessed to me.

   Alta annoyed me a bit but maybe that’s a me problem…

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Homophobia, Murder, and Vomit

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Ableism, Blood, and Incest

Minor: Fatphobia, Slavery, Abandonment, and Cursing

There is one use of the slur for Romani people. Does the dog die:

Yes. The dog is killed, rather violently

litliz's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Body horror, Abandonment, Death, and Classism

geilie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, Homophobia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Kidnapping, Classism, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Violence

xbernadette's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Homophobia, Infidelity, Grief, Classism, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Alcohol, Incest, Blood, Hate crime, Animal death, Vomit, Death, Sexual harassment, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship

archkyrology's review

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.0

"Am I more than you bargained for yet" -Fall Out Boy

In an attempt to play around with the memory wiping aspect to create a mystery, it just becomes confusing. The first half of the book is slow, relaxed, and curious enough to keep you reading. The second half was very fast and genuinely upsetting almost the entire time. I wish a lot of aspects had been done differently. Also a very cliffhanger ending for a book that doesn't have a sequel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Suicide, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Excrement, Incest, and Ableism

uparrowhead's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This book was definitely a challenging read for me, weaved in the huge emotional plot of the story. It does have a hopeful ending, but there is a lot of darkness and pain that you'd need to get through first. I found it rewarding, however, and a very interesting read that touches on a few issues that are faced both now and throughout history.

Many of the reviews I've read call the book slow-placed. With that, I have to agree. However, I think that the pacing of the book fits the content and story that it tells quite well. At certain points, however, like the climax of the story, I can understand how it was annoying and boring to read through, but I mostly didn't mind it.

Something that I have to appalude Bridget Collins for is her use of language and description. Many of the settings of the book were written out in a way that easily sucked me right into the novel, and the writing in the book was, overall, of high quality.

I really enjoyed the premise of the novel; the idea that you could take someone's memories and bind them into a book that they will forget forever. It gave way and allowed the book to explore darker concepts of society, and made the story much more engaging to read through.

I do believe that certain parts of the story weren't developed as much as they could have been,

with the death of Seredith, which seemed to stop effecting Emmett as soon as the book moved into Part Two and Three, and the ending which (although heartwarming) left some questions opened and unanswered in the story.

However, I liked how the majority of the plot played out and, despite times where I wanted to throw this book across the room (which I didn't do, courtesy to it's beautiful cover), I was left satisfied and happy in the long-term of the book.

WARNING : The book does change its POVs throughout Part One, Two, and Three of the story. I personally liked how it was executed, but I know it is not for everyone, and a lot of reviews I've read on here say that it was done poorly and left readers confused.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Outing, Rape, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

benotafraid's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Classism, and Homophobia

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape