Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

208 reviews

lo_ferrara's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

So dark, weird, strange, enjoyable!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elinorrae's review

Go to review page

4.5

Loved this book!!!!!! I LOVE DAMAGED WOMEN DOING UNETHICAL THINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give me moreeeeeee
Is the 4.5 a bit pedantic ye maybe but I wasn’t sure about the 2nd last chapter (written as a transcript) which seemed to just kind of base cover her traumas ? I do get the purpose but I felt it was a little lacking 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amessina3399's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

This book is pure weird, poetic beauty. The narrator's voice is perfection, and the underlying darkness of the main character is so beautifully present throughout. Definitely one of my new favs!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jam_03's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.25

The themes of this book are so fun to read and very unique. I did enjoy reading the transcripts that Greta was writing. 

I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, except Piñon, which made it harder for me to want to keep reading. Maybe it just went over my head but I think it's overhyped. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

brewingdaisies's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

—a good read for psychology students/enthusiasts. I enjoyed reading the transcripts, being in people's minds (especially greta's) and seeing how fucking unhinged everybody is. LMAO. not your average small town story, that's for 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

glitterdeww's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Just about everything in this book is an A+, and I need to give it all that credit up front. The plot setup of Big Swiss is brilliant. An emotionally immature woman in her 40s has on a whim, uprooted her life, moved in to a friend's 300 year old dilapidated farm house in a small New York town, started a job as a transcriptionist to a sex therapist, and became infatuated with a client that she hears through the recordings. I see why this is supposed to be an HBO series (if they just get a move on, already). You look at that cover, and you know this is going to be an unhinged, horny, and hilarious novel, and it sure holds up on each of those aspects. 

Pairing with the "bigness" of the title, there is certainly a BIG messy energy all throughout this book. Each one of these characters put out an intense but yet imaginable chaos. I feel like I have seen versions of these people in the wild. They are exceptionally written. 

Speaking of messy, Big Swiss is also a great depiction of unreliable narrators. Jen Beagin uses transcripts from those aforementioned therapy sessions AND the POV's unhinged internal monologue to show how memories and storytelling aren't dependable from person to person.

Now all that said, are there things in this book that simply aren't for me? Yes, 100%, and that will bring down my rating a smidge. Because reviewing IS a subjective activity, no matter how you come at it. The POV character of Greta... I wanted to. Throw. Her. Off. A. Bridge. 🤣. Goddamnit lol I ended up pushing through some parts quickly because I just couldn't personally stand her actions anymore. I could never be her friend, Sabine is a saint, and Big Swiss needs even more therapy. So again, the characters in this book DO get 5 stars, because she's supposed to be the pitiful, gross, traumatized, selfish mess that she is. I believe that is entirely on purpose, so well done... But I still didn't *enjoy* wanting to smack her so much. 


Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Craft: 4.5
Engagement: 4
SPARK: 3
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

snazzy_suze's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful 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
A coming-of-age story for older adults. Easy and fun to read, a book about trauma that isn't traumatizing. Would highly recommend. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

spagplate's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wynnsical's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love a story with unlikeable characters prompting us to question what we believe. The question of what trauma is, how we carry it with us, and if we have the choice to live with it or not was a theme I enjoyed exploring throughout the novel. I also loved the odd details and side characters like Sabine and her eclectic house and Om and his therapy style that Greta hates.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

meganana's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings