Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan

24 reviews

saniya's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-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

A beautiful yet harrowing story at the same time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and War

maraudergrl90's review against another edition

I would not consider myself a prude by any means but this book seemed to be raunchy and gross for seemingly no reason. Just about every taboo subject was thrown in for seemingly no reason. I just couldn't get into it. I got through 10% and just couldn't keep going. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War

joygarcialim's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and War

gusarapii's review against another edition

There was far too much SA to the point that it wasnt a plot devise anymore and the story didn´t draw me in either. I also lack the bacground information to trully understand the historycal background and references.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and War

imaginefishes's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

4.75

The story is told non-linearly, with a giant ensemble cast of characters who have someone all been interwoven together into the same family, and yet, the story does not become drab nor difficult to follow. Despite the dark matters (such as rape) described in the book, the tone of writing remains lighthearted and almost cheeky, which makes it for an easy read (though the normalising of violence, sexual or otherwise, towards women may be difficult to stomach at times). The story is entertaining to the end, and seeing all the final pieces fall into place describing the choices of characters from chapters ago was somewhat satisfying, but also mildly disappointing due to the reveal of the central piece.

Overall, this is a story about myth and legend set in a real-life historical timeline, where the Indonesian experience of war, decolonialisation, and post-independence is reflected through a variety of characters symbolising these differing themes. My (brief) learning of Indonesian history in school definitely aided in my following of the timeline, and I would recommend readers familiarise themselves with these topics prior to taking on this book. Besides showcasing the overall population-wide experience, the book also depicts the micro-perspective of Dewi Ayu and the tragic fate of her family, which when combined with the humorous choice of phrases used in the book, somehow allows me as the reader not to feel sympathy for them, but rather, view their demise as consequences of their own actions.

Truly, no character in this story is innocent. Crime, immorality, and violence are the bread and butter of the plot, and there are more than necessary descriptions of fecal matter and death. Though, I did not find these descriptions to be overtly vulgar as this diction fits into the overall tone of the book.

I had no clue what this book would be about when I first read it, but I do not regret picking it up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Bullying and Grief

caldridge's review against another edition

dark funny medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Vomit, Abortion, Abandonment, and War

shainalite's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

baca buku ini kayak main game ular-ularan

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

deathbear's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.75

This book is well written. I liked learning political indonesian history through it. The female characters are the most interesting characters in the book, but most of the focus is on the men who court them. The begining of the book that focused on Dewi Ayu hooked me. When it changed narrative towards Shodancho, Kliwon and Maman Gendeng, it was a struggle to empathize with their motives...

I would read other works by this author and I definitely want to seek out more Indonesian authors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content

thegodfather's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

kimlobak's review against another edition

the language used was too vulgar for my cup of tea

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Slavery

Moderate: Colonisation