Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

23 reviews

potterpav's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

giving this book two stars feels strange, i think because it can be split into 2 main parts: the inquiry and his turn to lucy, and the attack, and then when he departs from lucy. you would think the second “half” would start after the attack on the house, but no. this book feels insanely disjointed, lurie’s morals not sticking coherently throughout the novel despite repeatedly saying that he’s too old to change - was this a deliberate inconsistency or was it just this book being too flimsy? i didn’t like any character, i felt bad for every single woman who had to come into contact or conversation with lurie. talk abt self-absorbed! or maybe more unaware, and he only became aware too late. the praise this book received only makes me wonder who justified all the praise because i could rip into this book forever 😭 sorry. or am i? every content warning ever for this book bc lurie, i saw you finding a school girl attractive. don’t think i missed that during your period of “redemption”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Slavery

emilystsa's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

Disgrace isn't a book I would ever pick up or have any interest to read autonomously; but having read it for my English Lit course, I can understand the book's importance and popularity. Can I say I enjoyed it? No? I'm not sure. It's definitely a tough read, especially for a female reader, but the writing style and plot devices make it a somewhat entertainting story despite the glaring flaws of its narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder

celaeno's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Racism and Colonisation

Minor: Abortion

guardachuva's review

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism

Minor: Abortion

swaggypsyduck's review

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy

Minor: Lesbophobia

surdiablo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Where do I even begin... It's one of the most disturbing books I have read so far, which didn't even enter the gratuitous territory. As dark as it was, I was also intrigued by the premise, a cautious curiosity that turned into excruciating misery as the plot progressed, leaving me emotionally exhausted and numb by the end. The writing is simple but effective with good pacing, and there's a permanent sense of dread throughout the book which was well done. This book evoked such an abundance of discussions in our read-along, and I simply can't talk further about it without getting into spoilers, so it's best to stop reading here if you haven't read it.

We follow the POV of

David Lurie, an English professor in his 50s who loves seducing young women, especially his students, which sets the unsettling tone right from the beginning. We get to see his thought process in detail and also his fall from grace, how he keeps digging a hole for himself constantly with his actions. How he abuses that position of power over others and remains egotistic until there's a change of environment that puts him in a helpless spot, a rather severe reverse of his old circumstances theme-wise, which you may or may not sympathize with. The book also delves into post-apartheid South Africa so it offers a rather bleak insight into the social environment back then. David always felt like an outsider because of his interests and upbringing in general, which made him feel alienated in the city, and even more in the countryside. We see him struggle to deal with the injustices and his daughter Lucy's choices, which the reader may also have trouble accepting at first, but by the end, I found the entire arc of Lucy to be tragic. She's a traumatized woman who thinks she has no choices left or simply doesn't want to leave the place she loves. She submits to her fate just like the dogs that David held onto during their dying breath. As for David, he seeks solace in the poems he teaches and there are moments where we see the humanity in him come out. With the way the book ends, you can say he's on the road to redemption, although I couldn't bring myself to root for him regardless of his choices

.

Ultimately, it's indeed a disgrace. The MC, the situation, and the society itself that normalized this moment, all of them are terrible. This book pulls no punches, wastes no words, and shows you the dark reality of life. It makes you question your values and leaves you very conflicted about what to feel regarding the MC, although I felt plenty of empathy for his daughter. I don't have more to say, it's just one of those books that leaves you broken. You can expect several triggering events like animal cruelty as well, so don't bother reading this if you are easily affected by such things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content and Abortion

marla_arguelles's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury

embla_sigun's review

challenging dark reflective tense

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Colonisation

rosevint's review

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

cgdppl's review

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

1.75

There are more things that I truly despised to its core in this book than I liked. The sexist and misogynist descriptions of characters, the poorly written dialogues and lack of acknowledgement for the rape done by the main character. This book is extremly gross in terms of how women are treated and presneted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism