Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Páradais by Fernanda Melchor

35 reviews

darbo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

A disgusting and vulgar piece of literature.

Paradais certainly was not a favourite of mine. Fernanda Melchor uses disgusting and vulgar language that might deter some readers, and make the ones that do decide to stick around uncomfortable. However, this is not a definite. I am sure there are also readers who do not mind that sort of language, and I obviously see the point the author is trying to make with this. It is quite clearly the voice of someone who is angry, and for good reason. At the same time as being a disgusting, misogynistic, and cynical piece of literature with absolutely unlikeable characters, it is also a voice that needs to be heard and an issue people need to talk about urgently.

However, let me warn you. This book fulfills all the trigger warnings you can think of; alcoholism, misogyny, violence, r*pe - just to name a few. And all of them are very much graphic at that.

Needless to say, this book was not the one for me, hence the 3/5 stars (3.5 on StoryGraph). I agree with the authors' point, but I disliked how they chose to portray it, even though such offensive language and violence is probably the right way to do it. Better to just read it for yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Stalking, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, Blood, and Sexual content

luna_snowfeather's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 This book was brutal in the best way possible. Absolutly Unhinged.

We follow 2 teens in mexico as they graple with their place in society. Melchor's writing makes you almost feel for them as you are brought into this intense moment in their lives, when they are really at their worst. What they do is horrific, and completely deranged.
I have seen many bad reviews for this book, and can put it down only to its very graphic writing. It is not for the delicate, and features very graphic and vivid images of sexual violence and complete madness. If that's not for you, then do not read this.

I found it so unbelievably adictive, I only wanted to continue. The pages practically turned themselves, especially at the end... I'd recomend to anyone who is mentally able to take it, it's not for everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Fatphobia, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol, Torture, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Violence

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

1.25

i think i understand what paradais tries to do, but the eventual execution of its ideas was just not it for me. melchor def delves into many aspects of life in mexico - or a particular kind of the country if u will - be it class, sex, colorism and life under gang control. the novel shows a unfiltered, brutal look into the lives of those rarely given such glaring spotlight in books. moreover, once the action gets going, it becomes a thrilling, rollicking ride thats almost impossible to stop.

w/ that said, a lot of the content can be raw, dark and challenging. this isnt a bad thing, esp as it's a necessity in the book, inseparable from the reality of the world depicted. my issue is when coupled w/ the endless droning narrative - or unending descriptions thats bafflingly detailed to the point of being redundant, to be more apt - of the story's first half, it becomes almost unbearable to trudge on and read.

ig melchor's technical and stylistic choice here is supposed to firmly put readers into polo's and franco's heads, providing a rationale or explanation for two main characters' warped views and choices that ultimately result in the tragic ending, but it simply overwhelms the narrative for me. the entire first half's spent describing and explaining both characters' psyches and situations, and imo for a supposed thriller there's too little action that drives the story forward, w/ the characters' actual plotting and action - which is excellent btw - only taking place in the last 20% or so.

considering the book's rating im obvs in the minority here and i do wish i could like it, but this just isnt it for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Kidnapping

Minor: Torture

lorelai98's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, and Rape

callmeleonie's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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

2.5

I found it really hard to read,  not only because of the almost endless sentences, but also because of the misogyny and the fatphobia. Although the main character was really disgusting and unlikable, I also could not stand how the description of him was mainly based on horrific fatphobic remarks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Alcohol, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

cianarae's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.0

I didn’t like the writing style at all. I usually love unlikeable characters but I couldn’t get into these.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Incest, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Pregnancy and Vomit

deborah_green's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Vomit, Classism, Excrement, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Gun violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

narmene's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Blood, and Murder

eepi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Body shaming, Incest, and Sexual assault

hukkelberg's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

What a sad little thing. It's just mulch. Irritating, frustrating, upsetting mulch. It paints a picture, spends so many pages painting a huge glance at the holes and corners of the workings in this country. The way its written, the huge sentences, steeps the text in a false sense of urgency that tricks you into thinking something's going to happen and then it doesn't, it never does. But it makes its point. The voice is this way because Polo's life is this way and it convinces you, as it convinced him, that this endless rhythmic drudgery is all that ever will be. He's barely present in the end, in his own mind, and that had the unfortunate consequence of making me as detached as he willed himself to be so he could process it. I started it yesterday evening, around midnight, and finished it now, not without it putting me to sleep thrice. It's a serious book, deals in serious matters, but instead of bringing you in, it makes you into the unengaged spectator of an avalanche of tragedies that so overwhelmingly supersedes the scope of action of its protagonist there is no moment you are tempted to commune with whatever it's attempting to speak on. It's like watching the news form another room. But it's not bad, nor is it dumb. It's just sad and little.

EDIT: Bumping this up half a star, not because it's any better, but because I just had to work on a place just like the one described here and I understood intimately, immediately, the feelings of the main character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Classism, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, and Incest

Minor: Child death and Death of parent