Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell

6 reviews

amber_lfor's review against another edition

I wanted to like this book. I read the series when I was younger, and put up with a lot, the second reading I just couldn't do! The women lack personality, and are mainly seen as beautiful and meek, or defiant and ugly in some way. I'm about 100 pages in and 3 women have been raped. All I want is a good historical book that does women justice! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and War

I would only bother if you have a strong stomach and can bare outdated writing about women.

unluckycat13's review against another edition

Really vile, sexist stuff in this one. Not because it's historically accurate mind you, they never are when it comes to women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, Slavery, Sexism, Violence, Ableism, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

nerdkitten's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, War, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Violence, Ableism, Death, Alcohol, Gore, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Excrement, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Abortion, Confinement, Infertility, Trafficking, Drug use, Vomit, Medical content, Animal cruelty, and Classism

cjblandford's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this more realistic take on the legend of Arthur. Here he is not presented as a King, but as a Warlord who is trying(and many times failing) to unite Britons against the invading Saxons, but just as often, he is battling other Britons who are vying for more power. This was first published in 1996 and I think, even though this is more definitely historical fiction (less fantasy), this influenced a lot of the grimdark fiction that came after this in the fantasy genre. It is dark, violent, gory, ruthless, and at times hard to read, especially the sexual assault scenes. The author was trying to accurately portray the violence of daily life that was inescapable during this time, and in that regard he was successful. As far as the story goes, the plot meandered a bit before an overarching story revealed itself. A lot of time was spent establishing the characters and this world. The characters are well-rounded and interesting. Arthur is a flawed, tragic human whose nature has him fighting himself as much as his enemies. Merlin is a crazed, single-minded asshole who is only looking to reestablish Britain's "natural gods" and to kick out any invaders. Our narrator is very sympathetic, and at the beginning of this story, has a bit of hero-worship for Arthur going on. As the story progresses, and as he matures, our narrator learns that Arthur is still a hero, but he's also just a man, not some God-like being. And that's what I find interesting about this novel, it reimagines a legend and mythic character as a real person, with ambitions, flaws, and weaknesses. I'm looking forward to seeing how this story plays out, even though I know if it follows the legend, it won't end well for Arthur...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexism, Blood, Animal death, Gore, Death, Rape, and Violence

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Once and Future King is my favorite book. To call this A Tale of Arthur and then have the narrative focus on a warrior named Derfel? It is certainly a bold move, but I think in the end it is a good choice. Trying to base the historically spotty, retroactively-Christian narrative of Arthur in the actual post-Roman dark ages of Britain is no easy task. But Cornwell’s attention to historical detail and respect of it makes for a very fun and interesting read. As long as you can stomach historical sexism and misogyny, which I wouldn’t blame you for skipping.

Also, this Lancelot is wildly different from T. H. White’s, which I didn’t expect. What a dick. 8/10.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Slavery

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit

mad_mad's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Sexism, Slavery, and War