Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

76 reviews

cstein's review

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A gripping examination of a tragic social order.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Animal death, Infertility, Violence, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Gore, Body shaming, Classism, and Miscarriage

meenakshisathish's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Infertility, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Misogyny, and Torture

Literary fiction, historical fiction, gothic, feminist

lostinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad tense fast-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? No

4.5

Wow! Hamnet was a tough act to follow but Maggie O'Farrel has done it again! I love the idea of taking a pre-gothic tale and giving it a gothic style. I was hooked throughout by the tense atmosphere and the beautiful prose. It put me in a constant pull between wanting to speed through to the end and wanting to take it slowly to reflect on the themes and savour the writing. I am rarely a re-reader but I feel this book may warrant it.  Time to read more of her back catalogue as this has cemented Maggie O'Farrel as one of my favourite authors.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Medical trauma, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Infertility

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Infidelity

thelibraryofalexandra's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder

samants's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-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

An arresting retelling of the tragic story of a young woman in the 1500s. It struck me as a little too "not like other girls" at times, and a little too fanfic-y at others, but the descriptions of how Lucrezia's life slowly falls apart around her and of Alfonso's brutality are breathtaking.

Poor Emilia. I wish the narrative had weighed on that tragedy a little more, another casualty of Alfonso's abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Rape, and Domestic abuse

litletters's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Chronic illness and Vomit

original_jen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Domestic abuse

eeamiller's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Murder, Animal death, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Death, Child abuse, and Infertility

horationelson's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

viwilliams's review against another edition

dark informative 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

Minor: Blood and Domestic abuse