Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

13 reviews

selmv's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.75

the end cldve been less predictable n a bit better , but i feel like thats an unfair thing 2 say when it reflects th harsh (yet as good as it can get) reality that women have 2 live . . life is unsatifsying as a woman (especially as a woman who is very inescapably conditioned by patriarchy)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Sexism, Eating disorder, Vomit, Self harm, and Alcoholism

dizzzybrook's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Addiction, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault

carolrol_lina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

bem ok! O role molieres depressivas começou a me cansar em certo ponto,, mas eh bom! capitulos curtos!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body shaming, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

read_by_gee's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

lindsaybennett's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Really well written book, i found it very poetic. Pretty dark, definitely check out the trigger warnings before reading. I liked the style of writing and the nuggets if profound wisdom throughout the book. It almost felt like i was reading a real person's journal, not a fictional novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

jaiari12's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Infidelity, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

v7738v773's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I thought I’d like this book more than I did. The brutal honesty und accuracy with which the author describes the protagonist’s emotions and behaviors were intriguing, but I just didn’t feel good reading this book. It was hard to get into at first and the last third just made me feel dragged down. I didn’t really want to continue reading but did so for the sake of finishing the book. Maybe more fitting for someone else, as I just didn’t feel connected to the main character, especially towards the end. I found it too dark and just couldn’t relate to the overall mindset. Reading this book felt like a toxic and abusive experience with an ending that was neither conclusive nor developed enough for me. Wouldn’t read again and wouldn’t really recommend to a friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexism

Minor: Abandonment, Drug abuse, and Drug use

thesawyerbean's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow, this was incredible. The writing was so raw, vulnerable and personal, and yet utterly intoxicating. 

The book centred on the whirlwind ‘romance’ between the narrator and Ciaran, laying bare the destructive force of obsessive love on the self. The narrator’s point of view, despite being unnamed, was so intimate that you felt everything that she went through. 

Interweaved with the affecting prose was nuanced and edifying commentary on sex, gender, consent, power and patriarchy, the male gaze and the violence of sex. The flash-forwards to 2019 Athens were rich and clear in these perspectives, providing a stunning contrast to the dizziness of the narrator’s thoughts and experiences in the main timeline. 

Overall, a staggering and important debut which left me stewing in thought for a while after.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Infidelity

sib_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Drug use

Minor: Pedophilia

cultbyproxy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

“Mediating your own victimhood is just part of being a woman. Using it or denying it, hating it or loving it, and all of these at once. Being a victim is boring for everyone involved.”

acts of desperation follows a nameless narrator as she falls in obsession with a man named ciaran. we follow her recollection of the fast-paced romance, toxic codependency, abusive control and abrupt ending(s). 

nolan’s writing reads like a frantic train of thought, a private journal, as we take a look at desire, impulsivity, promiscuity, abuse, sexual assault and self-destruction in women (basically, a long list of trigger and content warnings). the complexities of the lenses through which the actions of the protagonist are viewed allows for an unsettling look into the female psyche. nolan has a strong character voice that fully immerses the reader into the storyline, with her choice of an unnamed narrator, written in first person, creating a thin barrier between the story and the readers’ experience. there is much beauty to be found in her commentary on topics of ageism, love, lust, infidelity, mental health and power, making for lots of delicately devastating quotes. 

acts of desperation is perfectly poetic, a beautifully intrusive descent into madness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, and Sexism

Minor: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, and Death