Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Flori pentru Algernon by Daniel Keyes

74 reviews

beklovesbooks's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark

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I originally read excerpts in high school and really liked this book. I didn’t like the unabridged version as much. So much lust and sex and weird stuff about becoming one with the universe or something. Kind of creepy about voyeurism and out of body experiences , The whole thing is really sad. I don’t need to read it again. What I am intrigued by is the idea of scaling the writing to go from retardation to average to college graduate to genius and back down again incrementally.

Editing on further reflection: it’s a crazy male fantasy of a nude next door neighbor who only wants dancing and sex and no strings, voyeurism and a messed up fantasy of her saying things like don’t disappoint me again at his inability to perform sexually. And then the other girlfriend is fine with his affair, and the other woman  even though she wants him too. It could have had such a different more wholesome focus and impact.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail

mschet's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This book was written in 2004 and uses terms to described mental challenges that are no longer used and therefore it’s a bit jarring when reading this novel.  Also, the cruel teasing  of Charlie’s “friends” is disturbing to me.  However, getting past that, author successfully illustrates Charlie’s emotional journey.  It’s well written.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

andlovetoowillruinus's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol

Minor: Incest, Rape

sswampthingg's review against another edition

4.75

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Deeply touching and relatable, despite the main plot point being currently impossible by today's scientific standards. Themes of varying ability (rapid growth and

regression

) are related to memory and connection in a way I have never seen done in other contexts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Grief, Abandonment

Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

scs033's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Physical abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Pregnancy

playd82u's review against another edition

4.0

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I read this book in a day. Please, don’t do that. It’s very intense and handles a lot of intense themes and social commentary. Please do read, but pace yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

redkeys's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I spoiled myself a bit because the premise made me dubious but intrigued, but overall it seemed to have good reviews. I did enjoy this book, and for the time it's a lot more compassionate than I expected. Well-written, admittedly Freudian, and the ending leaves a bit of a sour taste for personal reasons. I'll need to come back to this as a written book, as I listened to the audiobook and it seems some of the written cues didn't translate.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Dementia, Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail

mariaadkins's review against another edition

3.25

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Gaslighting

sagewise's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Broke my heart from page one, and it didn’t get better. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual content, Religious bigotry

kenna21's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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: Complicated

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It was a difficult read for me as I have an adult son who has learning disabilities, and I am concerned about his care.  This book is quite damning about scientific interventions and how specialists can run away with their theories and convince ordinary people to trust them.  The picture of the main character's abuse is stuck in my mind and even though this was written sixty years ago things seem not to have changed in that respect.  It is well written and the transformational story is very enlightening.  This is the second time of reading but I don't think I made it to the end last time.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Abandonment