Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

13 reviews

hmih's review against another edition

informative reflective tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Misogyny, Sexism, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Bullying, Sexual assault, Cancer, and Sexism

Minor: Drug abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Cancer, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Suicide, Racism, Xenophobia, Bullying, Sexism, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Death of parent, Classism, Body shaming, Rape, and Gaslighting

samburkhouse's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, and Sexism

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Infidelity, Cancer, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Suicide, and Death of parent

emelynreads's review

adventurous reflective tense slow-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? No

4.5

Pleasantly surprised after reading this book. Not gonna lie, the first 100 pages were almost too cringe to get through because of Bill but that's probably the point. I wanted to read this book after watching American Crime Story's season about Bill and Monica. The last half of the book really nailed the premise, Hilary's alternate life was so believable and the author's character building/dialogue felt authentic. Probs one of my favorite alternate reality novels.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity and Sexism

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

joypouros's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

In this alternative history, Bill cheats on Hillary while they are dating and a campaign volunteer tells Hillary that Bill forced himself on her. Because of this, they never marry. 

Instead, she moves back to Chicago and works for several organizations and teaches. Bill gets married and an affair scandal causes him to drop out of the presidential race he historically won. He drops out of politics and becomes a wealthy tech investor.

Hillary starts her career as an elected official in Chicago. She works her was through the ranks until she runs for president... and so does Bill.

A wonderful excercise in how choices steer the rest of our lives. The voice and style really seem plausibly Hillary. The events intersect with real history, adding so much context that many folks don't know or have forgotten. 

A little too much Bill/Hillary sex for my liking. Otherwise, I had a hard time putting this down.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide

jess_white's review

hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide

pkc's review

hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I’m not sure where I sit with the idea of writing a speculative fiction novel about someone who is alive. I will say the story is inarguably intriguing, and wild at various turns and really slants perception of actual historical events

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Sexual assault

Moderate: Suicide

franceselsie's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Cancer, and Misogyny

Minor: Cursing, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Death

lilycollings's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

I understand why this book is so polarising but if you take this book as a work of fiction, how lives may have played out in a parallel universe it's a really good read. I did skip the more intimate scenes, it felt wrong reading these about real people.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicide, Sexual content, and Misogyny

rhosynmd's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I can see what this book was trying to do, and in some ways it did succeed. I loved the way that parts of what really did happened

Donald Trump being involved, allegations of sexual harassment, and the chanting at rallies

were included but used in different and unexpected ways, however overall I felt like it just fell a bit flat. The last section

where she is actually president and so happy

made me sad to think about what might have/should have been.  Plus the sex scenes were beyond cringe worthy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer and Suicide

ifersinklings's review

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

 This was an interesting story. It is an alternate history where Hilary didn't marry Bill Clinton. The first 30% of the book seems like it loosely followed their original story (I say loosely because I'm personally not sure of the early history.) Then it all goes off the rails. This is where it threw me off and kind of took me out of the story. There were some dates that weren't accurate to things that happened in real life, and those little things really bothered me. But I think that is a personal issue with alternate history stories. They just don't really work for me. If this book had been 100% fictional and not alternate history, I think it would have been a 5 star book for me. It is definitely worth the read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Toxic relationship