Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

18 reviews

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Genocide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, Death of parent, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Infidelity, Rape, Violence, War, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Vomit

thevietvegan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This is a very hard and emotional read, especially for Viet Kieu. It depicts all the horrible sides of war and the intersections between American and Vietnamese cultures. It’s really a sad book, but so beautiful and I think really captured the spirit of Vietnamese people so well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Pregnancy, Death, Gun violence, Trafficking, Racism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Abandonment, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Racial slurs

rachel101's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Incredibly moving story based on truth, this book will stay with you for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Body horror, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Drug abuse, Grief, Gore, Hate crime, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content

amyeicher's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Abandonment, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Alcoholism, Rape, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

meatballmoney's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Child death, Cursing, and War

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Abandonment, Abortion, Body horror, Classism, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Torture, Trafficking, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Racial slurs, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

lizmart88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

I've read several books from the city Vietnamese perspective on the war. This one is set during the war and focuses on two sisters who become hostesses at a bar entertaining GIs in Saigon. It also follows in the present day Dan, a former helicopter pilot, and his wife, traveling to Vietnam.

Beautifully written. The author does an excellent job portraying the characters complex emotions and how they end up making such difficult decisions in the face of war and uncertainty. It also does a lovely job sharing Vietnamese language, culture, and identity and the many impacts of the war on Vietnamese people.

Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, War, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

bookthia's review against another edition

emotional medium-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

Very good.  Interweaving stories of people who lived and survived the Vietnam war.   I had small quibbles with some of the character development but the story itself was excellent.  I listened on audio deliberately to hear the Vietnamese words spoken properly and I am so glad I did. The narration was wonderful. Two Vietnamese sisters move from the country to Saigon to help their parents pay off debts and get swept up in the sex trade that took hold when American soldiers came. One sister falls in love with a soldier and becomes pregnant with his child.  Many years later, after the war, the soldier and his wife return to Vietnam to find his child.  But the story digs deep into the various traumas and hardships experienced by the Vietnamese, and to a smaller extent, to Americans. 

As someone who has been privileged to have recently travelled in Vietnam, it was fascinating to be familiar with some of the locations used in the novel. 

Recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, War, Car accident, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape

madarzoe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-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

Informative, multi-faceted and thought-provoking. Explores themes of race, feminism, love, forgiveness, family and the ways people fight to maintain their humanity during unthinkable times. At some points the writing sounded a bit like a college paper on the Vietnam War, but I appreciated the history lesson and the range of perspectives. The story flips between two main points in time and multiple character POVs, which made it feel like a fairly quick read and kept me interested, and the story built nicely towards a bit of a climax towards the end. I enjoyed how the author was able to leave me feeling more hopeful than depressed by the end, despite some very heavy topics and material. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and War

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Infidelity, Pregnancy, War, Racism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Rape and Self harm