Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao

4 reviews

amiegold's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-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

In The Majesties, Tiffany Tsao opens with a bold and vivid scene portraying a mass poisoning of an entire wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family, over 300 people.  Gwendalyn, the sister of the poisoner and the only survivor, lies in a coma trying to understand why her sister and best friend, Estella, would have done such a thing.  What follows is not so much of a thriller as a peeling back of layer upon layer of family secrets, each more disturbing than the one before.  We travel back through Gwendalyn's memories and throughout the world searching for the answer to 'why did she do it?'.  Though the beginning and the end read like a psychological thriller, the middle reads more like a wealthy family drama, perfect for armchair travelers like myself.

I loved this book and I absolutely adore Tsaos writing style.  As with 'The Remains of the Day', it is quite slow paced and you begin to wonder how much you can really trust the main characters observations and opinions.  If you read it slowly, you can see the parallels between sisterhood and dual worlds, between the beautiful insects she preserves and the daughters themselves, constantly on display, yet trapped and held immobile.  Tsao expertly addresses issues such as racial stereotyping in different countries and gender inequality.  I am sure I will reread in the future!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexism and Racism

annoyedhumanoid's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

re: the ending: ??? i mean, sure? it was a big twist that contradicted the entire narrative yet simultaneously (imo) amounted to nothing of significance; it just fell flat. the prose, oh boy. it's how i write when trying to sound smart in essays, unnecessarily florid. it had a promising concept, i was hooked just from the blurb, but it didn't live up and the entire time i wasn't all that interested.
cover design review: ★★★☆☆. intriguing at first glance, i like the yellow background and the texture and shadows of the paint strokes within the face, but other than that it's eh. this is not representative of the book i just read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Car accident, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Racism

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Infertility, Abortion, Blood, Cancer, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Dementia, Terminal illness, and Vomit

re: animal cruelty and death: it's insects if that makes a difference

pennym_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Drug abuse

sophiesticatedselections's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Medical content, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Violence