Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

11 reviews

kistasaurus's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Physical abuse and Alcoholism

mamaewalk's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

Creative, unique, and utterly badass story. Reads like a memoir. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Misogyny

Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Panic attacks/disorders

sadiaa's review against another edition

2.75

The premise of the book is interesting, women suddenly turning into dragons and societies denial of the existence of dragons. This book took me forever to finish, I kept picking it up and putting it down. I found myself skipping pages at a time, I was only interested in Alex and Beatrice's story. I found myself angry at the misogyny Alex faced, "no point getting an education when you'll just become a wife and mother", it was infuriating and testament to how women deal with adversity.
I loved the female rage aspect of the book,

when the dragons attack the abusive men in their lives, I wish Alex got her revenge on her teacher, he was insufferable.

It just failed to hold my interest and I struggled through this book, determined not to dnf 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Homophobia, Death, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

tostita's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Death of parent, Cancer, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Terminal illness, Misogyny, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual harassment and Physical abuse

tallandblonde's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

beautiful book. hopeful, important, beautifully written, explores feminine rage and trauma in beautiful ways.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

bubblegirl858's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For my 2023 book rating system I gave this book 5 stars. This was our January Book Club read and I really enjoyed this book, even though it also frustrated me. It was a highly feminist novel told from a point of view that is not often seen, a child who is being forced to grow up too quickly in a world that doesn't explain how anything works and actively tries to suppress information. I really enjoyed the whole plot of women turning into dragons. It is a fantastic idea. Setting it in the 50's was also such an amazing way to show how men, the government, the public in general, and women who have internalized misogyny treat other women. The suppression of women's issues as being "sensitive" or "vulgar" is insane to most modern women, but it is how the world has always been and continues to be in some places, even if the normalization of speaking about women's issues and rights grows. This novel perfectly illustrated how children are taught to hate and be bigoted, how women are taught to shrink themselves and make themselves more palatable, and how love is love. It is not a choice to be gay or straight, it is not taught, it is just how it is. The only downsides/detractions that I had about this book was that it spent the majority of the time in her childhood, and then when it skipped to her teenage/young adult life the plot moved blindingly fast and we didn't get nearly enough time to understand the woman who she became. I would have liked to have explored a bit more of her adult life. The characters in this book were equally loveable and hateable. An equal balance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Abandonment

Minor: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Pregnancy

helenferg's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Sexism, and Cancer

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

eve_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0

Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The greater metaphor of this book (dragons representing repressed women and their rage/desires in the 1950s) is at times just too simplistic. I understand that, in part, some of the extremer parts of the metaphor are meant to be ridiculous as a means of cathartic release. Still, I also I don't think the text leaves much room for nuance or intersectionality, and at times makes points that are contradictory to the feminist movement it is trying to support/aid.

⁕ The plot meanders a lot, especially in the first half of the book. In an attempt to convey Alex's youth and ignorance, there is a lot of ambiguous language and unclear developments regarding both the larger political climate she exists in and her own home life. To some extent this would have been fine, but it felt too muddled and it affected the pacing of the story severely.   

⁕ The strongest, most beautiful part of this entire novel is not the larger socio-political themes, but the development of Alex's relationship with her sister. Her struggle to care for her sister, to balance her own needs and ambitions with her sister's, and, eventually, to share her sister with others, was so incredibly touching. I would have read the book without any dragons involved just for that alone.

To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Misogyny, Cancer, and Death of parent

cameronreads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

This book, whilst not completely revolutionary, nor all-encompassing, was an interesting read, with a compelling concept. The writing was very good, with some very quotable lines, and I liked how it was told as an autobiography. I though the characters were suitably complex and interesting to read about, and I loved exploring the relationships Alex had with everyone around her. It didn’t exactly bring anything new to the table, and whilst it did touch on the intersectionality between being a women and being trans (although in a somewhat clunky way, with trans women once described as ‘women by choice’) there was no touching on race, which was disappointing, especially considering when this books was set and the means of protesting and discrimination that we saw. I wouldn’t recommend this as a book to open your eyes to something, or to challenge your views on feminism, but I would as an enjoyable read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Cancer, Death, Sexism, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Physical abuse and Medical content

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Grief, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Physical abuse, War, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Dysphoria

Further warning for descriptions of menstruation.