Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir

4 reviews

mikatack's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Drug use

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

I couldn't connect with the first story, "The Age of Discretion." It was the soporific ramblings of a boy mom, and the last novella was annoying. The standout for me was definitely "The Monologue." Pure, unadulterated female rage, and maybe it's concerning, but I found myself relating a lot to the MC, Murielle, at least with the misanthropic and nihilistic thoughts, her acidic homophobic and racist diatribes notwithstanding. The writing was chef's kiss, run-on sentences and all. The psychotic stream of consciousness was both chaotic and tragic to follow, but reading Murielle's delusions of grandeur and excessive narcissism wasn't as dreadful as when men do it. I think this manifesto against the world is the one I'll keep coming back to, and maybe I'll even make it a tradition to read it on every new year's day starting next year lol

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Sexism, Child death, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

_rowan_'s review

emotional informative reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Slavery, Drug use, Death, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Grief

rooney_shay's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This edition included two other short stories as well as “The Woman Destroyed” (TWD, for short). I enjoyed TWD much more than the other two stories, but they all focused around woman dealing with loss in their lives. 

TWD dealt with the main character slowly losing her husband to another woman, but with him goes her sense of self.

 
It was deeply saddening and really hurt my heart. I began to empathize with the main character and only wanted to see her happy. 
<small spoiler>The only reason I’m not giving this a 5/5 is because of the ambiguous ending. I’m not a huge a fan of unresolved conflict, so just a small warning to those of you like me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Classism, and Drug use