Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

24 reviews

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

willowbiblio's review

challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.0

 "This is my life. I am the one who has to live here. What happened to me is my business, mine alone, not yours, and if there is one right I have it is the right not to be put on trial like this, not to have to justify myself- not to you, not to anyone else."
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This was such a complex book and reading experience for me. I *loathed* David. He abused his power, raped his student, and then acted like he was morally superior when he was forced out of his university. When his daughter was assaulted he wanted to direct her experience and was completely blind to how he had engendered the same experience in his student.

  He was absolutely full of the audacity. His entire persona was the embodiment of doublethink. 

Coetzee used the language of violation: "forced", "exposed", "girl", "averted", "confused", in regards to the student, making it clear he also felt this was wrong. However, David's whole diatribe on the burgeoning opera was weird and I couldn't see how it aligned with the plot/text. I felt a little bit like Coetzee was trying to redeem or engender sympathy for David at the end, which I didn't like.

Despite how deeply uncomfortable much of this book made me, I could see how excellent Coetzee's writing was. I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't revisit it. Last note that I think there was less attention paid to the role of race in all these dynamics than I expected, which was sort of surprising since it was a massive part of the power dynamics/conflict at play. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Rape

enjojolras's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Rape

claudiebee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

ireri's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Sexual assault

jess_oc's review

dark reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

averytiredfox's review

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

One of the most well written, poignant books I've ever read, do not read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Violence, Sexism, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, and Emotional abuse

Sexual violence is at the forefront of this book. It may not be gratuitous (depending on opinion) but it is a major theme throughout.

mairielle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Animal cruelty

geenween's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

E' un libro a cui mi sono avvicinata paventando una gran pesantezza, ma in realtà è stato molto più veloce, e allo stesso tempo incisivo, di quello che mi aspettassi. Il protagonista, per me, resta una brutta persona, ma c'è una grandissima compassione nella visione del mondo intorno a lui, in un paese di persone ferite e schiacciate che faticano a venire a patti con il passato. 
***
A book about people lost in a country that has been in terrible turmoil, and not many have made peace with it. The protagonist starts as a pathetic man, guided by his sexual drive more than his brain, judgmental of women's body as if they were to meet his tastes and be desired to be of value in his eye. Something terrible happens to someone in his family and he has to realize everything is not about him. Moving, sad and terribly well written.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Violence

Minor: Rape

leonormsousa's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Abortion, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment