Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Cleópatra e Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

64 reviews

avery_hutchinson's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Even I cannot deny that this is a well written book. The writing itself is beautiful. However, it felt as if the book had little to no plot, and it also felt as if the characters all had so many issues for the sake of having issues

The book is utterly vulgar throughout, and it seems every character is either toxic, irresponsible, cheating, an alcoholic, or constantly on drugs.

Because of those things, the book only really toed the line of feeling realistic and relatable. The ending was bittersweet, but I wasn’t rooting for the characters to get there, especially since they felt like they had only undergone half a character arc. However the author did manage to establish clear voices for each of the characters, though the decision to include the voice of side characters for only a chapter then pushing them back to ensemble was an interesting choice.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Medical content, Death of parent, Sexual harassment

Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Transphobia

Toxic age gap relationship of about 20 years.

alisbleu's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Suicide, Death of parent

aleilvandrea's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Classism

Minor: Ableism, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria

fairyko's review against another edition

2.25

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

---

 Often I have walked past this book in the bookstore and thought about buying it. At the request of a friend, I did, because she said she would need someone at the end to exchange her thoughts about it and quickly it became clear to me why she said that. Right at the beginning a big warning. Please read the trigger warnings on the internet if you plan to buy this book. I did not know that certain topics are discussed so intensively and I claim to be able to handle a lot well - but here even I felt sick to my stomach now and then. A content warning at the beginning of the book would have been good in my opinion. Now about the content. I did not like the characters. Except for Santiago, I found every single person introduced annoying, boring, tiring, or just plain mean. Or all at once. The relationship between Cleo and Frank was doomed to fail from the start and you practically watch the two of them gradually destroy themselves and each other. Other characters (especially Quentin) leave too much room for interpretation and are there, but ultimately do not contribute to the development of the plot. They are all tragic in their own way, but only superficially so. Each character has their own story, their own trauma, and their own fate, but each character would need their own book to properly deal with all of this and not just skim over it. Coco Mellors does a poor job of addressing the problems of each individual and illuminating them in a light that does them justice. The wounds of each character are opened, but then not treated with the necessary sensitivity. At best, a small plaster is put on the metaphorical stab wound, but the reader does not get more. It was a very frustrating experience and from halfway through I prayed on every third page for a quick end to my reading experience. The novel presents itself as a shimmering, profound love story between a successful middle-aged man and a nearly childlike artist, but brings the reader nothing but pain. Not even because the story is so tragic, but because it just drags on. What one must credit Coco Mellors with is that she achieves her goal. People talk about her book, it stays in the mind for a long time and one thinks a lot about it, as each of these characters leaves a strange feeling in the stomach. Her writing style is also very appealing and especially graphic. She has certainly mastered "show, don't tell" as few others have. If she now also creates a story that does not claim to be something it is not, I can certainly imagine reading something from her again. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment

anh_read's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

While the novel centers around the relationship/marriage between Cleo and Frank, it also depicts its impact on their surroundings. As the novel follows a different character in each chapter, the reader gets a more in-depth look into their relationship

Therefore, the reader gets a better understanding why things didn’t work out between Cleo and Frank.

 

As I am not a big fan of romance novels, I am relieved that this novel didn’t turn out to be a typical and cheesy love story. Moreover, if you like Sex and the city, it definitely catches the vibe - just in a darker manner.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Sexual harassment

theraindiary's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria

Moderate: Misogyny, Transphobia, Death of parent

booksofpanda's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional funny 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

---

A great debut novel that I almost couldn’t put aside. Coco Mellors describes in Cleopatra and Frankenstein a love story that doesn’t feel like one at all. Instead her novel is full of tragedy, everyday reality, absurdities and heartbreaking honesty. The story revolves around the name giving couple Cleo and Frank, but also around their friends and family and their lives in New York. It is told from all their different perspectives. The author describes with refreshing bluntness the different sides of a toxic relationship as well as other hard topics like loss, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide and depression. This novel has moved me in many ways and made me feel all sorts of feelings from rage to pity up to sadness. It also made me laugh a lot about many absurdities that you get to experience when you live in New York. At times I thought the chapters were a bit too long. All in all an absolute pageturner that doesn’t feel like reading a debut novel. I can’t wait to read what’s next to come from Coco Mellors.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment

anna456's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment

inchy_squinchy's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Sexual harassment

racheltrow_'s review against another edition

4.25

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Well that was great but now I’m quite depressed. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment