Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Tampa by Alissa Nutting

47 reviews

shea_proulx's review

dark sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Confinement and Domestic abuse

gknott's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Drug use and Excrement

minaopal's review

challenging funny sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Infidelity, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

porporina's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Stalking, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

clemeslibrary's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

larzhagen's review

challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced

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

I typically don't add personal thoughts to my reviews, but I feel the need to share: Alissa Nutting taught my Literary Analysis course at Grinnell College in 2017. She was a truly wonderful professor and I look back on that class with fond memories. I did not know about her work, Tampa, until a few weeks after the course when some fellow students began whispering about it.

I've been mustering up the courage to read Tampa since, understanding the controversy behind the book and the graphic nature of it's material.

Full disclosure: I almost added Tampa to my DNF list when I was reading chapter seven. I was absolutely sickened.

Like some other readers have done, I will not be giving Tampa a star rating, as I do not want one to potentially reflect as condoning or enforcing any behaviors in the book.

However, I do believe Tampa is an important piece of literature which opens the door for uncomfortable, necessary conversations surrounding child safety laws, consent, socio-economic disparity in the justice system, etc. 

So, if you can stomach the grotesque, the vile, and read on past chapter seven... I would encourage you to do so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Cursing, and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality and Gun violence

nota_candycaine's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting

carleyanneh's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Drug use

abxgxil's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

I’m not going to rate this at all because I really don’t know how. Were there some good points made on the justice system and aging? Sure. Was this the most disgusting and vile thing I’ve ever read? 100% 

I’ve never read Lolita, so I can’t comfortably compare the two, but if they are at all similar, I’ll probably need a sick bag to get through something like this again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use

_bxllxe_'s review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

I take offense that this book tried too hard. The subject matter was disturbing, but wasn’t written well in my opinion. Dialogue sucked, characters weren’t realistic. Not sure what all the hype is about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use