Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

338 reviews

adaminmelrose's review

challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting

arikareads's review

4.0

3.5*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder

hurricaneherder's review

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

blueacorn1991's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

Absolutely beautifully written memoir about a subject that I (thankfully) didn't know much about. I loved the structure of the book, with the short chapters centered around a subject, writing style, perspective or tangent. Machado manages to tell her story in a very emotional way, while also educating you about queer history and abuse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

shelleyreadsbooks's review

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This. Book. Is. Hard.
This book is necessary.
I have been putting off reading this book until I was read. I wasn't read. I don't know that I will ever be ready.
I have never read a book that so captured what being emotionally abused does to your existence in the world. 
This book is necessary.
This. Book. Is. Hard.

I wish this book wasn't necessary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

4.0

This was really good, but heartbreaking. I appreciate that she wrote about her abusive  experience in a queer relationship. We need more stories like that. The writing took me a while to get into, but this was beautifully written. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

moogm11's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

educnuigeen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

like looking into a great big void. the I/You division of self, when she drops the snail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse

mary_wyrd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

In the Dream House you are a prisoner to your own heart; trapped, wanting to leave. But you can't, because the house is part of you now, a house that haunts. A dream that became a nightmare. This memoir is part exorcism part rebellion and a full-throated yell against the tyranny of abuse. Machado's full range of creativity is used in excising this chapter of her life and analysing its impact. The format is inventive. Each section is told in a different genre style or trope. Each section is also short, like a glimpse through the windows of the Dream House, seeing a tense, intense relationship from various angles, before the curtains are drawn. Many chapters are told in second person present tense, placing you in the author's position, living through that relationship.  You are both victim and witness. You are Machado. You are all the women in this position who couldn't get out until they did - fatally or finally free. This is a personal study of abuse with reflections on how society has historically treated both lesbians in love and lesbians in abusive situations; with silence, disgust and distrust.  In the Dream House as personal journey is certain to join the canon of lesbian non-fiction exploring love and loathing within a lesbian context.  In the Dream House as memoir already plays a part in unravelling the lie that women can't abuse other women. They can, and those abused need to be believed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol

laurmari's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence