Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

2 reviews

dustspectre's review

lighthearted 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

1.0

I probably would've enjoyed this book if I didn't dislike the POV character so much. They are a teenager only just leaving their 'not-like-the-others' phase and it shows. The constant degrading comments towards their more girly sister is annoying, and the constant commenting on their sisters' body is downright uncomfortable. Also the constant chasing after Kit, even when it's getting obvious that he really isn't someone to get involved with, begins to get on my nerves.

Also, (MAJOR spoilers)

the fact the MC forgives Mal in the end. This man was bordering on 30 and decided to ruin his marriage by fucking a 19 year old. 'It was like I was under a spell' yeah I get that Kit's very manipulative and an actor's son or whatever, but you don't get to blame the other party for making you have an affair on your fiancée. He wasn't threatening Mal to have sex with him or else, he was only ever described as generally being a manipulative piece of shit! Hope didn't cheat on Mal, the MC's Mum and Dad didn't, it was only Mal! Why is the MC forgiving him! Apologies for the rant, I needed to get that out.

Anyway, this is all probably accurate and realistic for the internal thoughts of an overly horny, 'not-like-the-others' teenager, but just because it's accurate doesn't mean it's good.

I decided to give this book 2 stars because the plot is quite  interesting, and I think I would've actually really enjoyed this book had it been either written in 3rd person or from the POV of literally any other character.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder and Pedophilia

Eating disorders are mentioned a couple of times. Nothing explicit but it crops up enough that I thought I'd tag it. Pedophilia is only mentioned once, but the way it's done is rather shocking so again I thought I'd add it. Spoilers:

Hugo describes how Kit destroyed another family in the past before coming into the MC's life. He groomed and had an affair(? It's not quite made clear exactly what relation it was, but was definitely romantic and possibly sexual) with a 12 year old. This reveal comes right at the end of the explanation, with the story before suggesting that it was an older girl and the parents who freak out were overreacting to their child having a relationship with Kit.

nostarsleftinthesky's review against another edition

challenging lighthearted fast-paced

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

1.5

THE ONLY GOOD CHARACTER WAS HUGO EVERYONE ELSE WAS TRASH EXCEPT THE KIDS just my opinion of course 😐

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment