Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

285 reviews

angelaaaa's review against another edition

4.25

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury

kellyung's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Alcohol

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Infidelity, Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Transphobia

tiffanyc's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors is an exploration of relationships – the good, the bad and the ugly. It follows the story of Cleo and Frank. As readers, we are swept into their world of lust and attraction. In the first chapter, we are introduced to Cleo and Frank as they meet for the first time. There is an instant connection - Cleo is in her 20s and is an art student and painter, and Frank is in his 40s and is a highly successful advertising executive. The two marry early on in their relationship and we start to see an array of weird and wonderfully flawed characters. Mellors masterfully manipulates the reader into thinking that Cleo and Frank’s relationship is going to make it. I became so invested that when things started to get messy I felt uncomfortable, angry and sad. It takes skill for an author to make you love a character one minute and the next minute hate them. There are side characters of ex-lovers, friends, family also depicted in this book faced with their own individual dilemmas.

Cleo and Frank are tumultuous, destructive, and toxic, and we are just going along on the ride. It was fun, provocative and heartbreaking all at once. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content

lostpaperbacks's review against another edition

3.5

emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

janaptrsn's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism

Minor: Infidelity, Grief

lilawsahar's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I liked the different perspectives throughout the book. I just wish there were more perspectives from the main characters. I feel like I didn’t see how their relationship fell apart. Chloe said frank is like a black hole and boom their relationship was deteriorating. Too sudden for me. I wish this book was longer. I wanted to hear everyone’s endings and journeys. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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: Yes

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This book did things to me. An impulsive marriage is a star at the center of a galaxy orbited by friends and family. And when that star simmers and explodes, everyone feels the aftershocks.

I forget exactly when, but at one point midway through the book I noticed the structure of the narrative. Not in a bad way. In a 'fellow writer albeit in another medium appreciating form' way. And I was struck by how complicated it is to pull off a multidimensional ensemble story like this, and yet how effortless the author made it all feel. Not to mention the emotional pay off. 

That is real skill.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria

hannalizzy's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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If the song “I’m wearing his boxers/I cry in his bathroom, he turns off the big light” song “Complex” by Katie Gregson-MacLeod from tiktok was a book, this would be it. Or “You’re On Your Own, Kid” by Taylor Swift from Midnights. Or “Moon Song” by Phoebe Bridgers. Take your pick. If any of those songs break you, this book will finish the job 😭❤️‍🩹

Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a literary fiction masterpiece and in-depth character study. It’s the type of book that readers need to put some work into — you learn about the characters passively, by connecting the dots between their dialogue and their actions/behaviors. It’s a book worth annotating because so much is said between the lines. 

Throughout the book you go from loving Cleo and Frank to hating them both, individually and as a couple. They’re messy, flawed, toxic people who bring out the worst in each other, and yet: “when the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light.” 

It’s as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. It’s raw, it’s messy, it’s human. 5/5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Definitely adult content w/ triggering subjects. Check for content warnings ❤️‍🩹

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria

Moderate: Death of parent

clarathromycin's review against another edition

2.0

dark emotional slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Toxic characters who are miserable in NYC.  Join the club.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail