Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Three Women - Drei Frauen by Lisa Taddeo

101 reviews

cmvoelkel's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

2.75

I picked up this book years ago but put it down very soon after because I just couldn't get into it. This time I started it as an audiobook whilst waiting for other holds to come in and was immediately captivated by the writing and narration. I fully appreciate writers who can write non-fiction in such a lyrical and engrossing way that it reads like a novel.  Taddeo's writing really hooked me.  That said, nothing else did.  
As someone with a degree in sociology/psychology, I have a real interest in observational and ethnographical research.  This here however, just felt more like voyerism than ethnography and unnecessarily so.  I kept waiting for the big reveal or tie-in at the end, the greater reflections on female desire that the author would use to make sense of or draw value from these (white women's) stories.  There wasn't any.  I am left wondering what the point of this book was and feeling a bit miffed that such great writing went to such a salacious, shallow and short-sighted cause.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent

milliebrierley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Car accident

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

holliejoy's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

kcreedon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident

onion's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Death of parent

katehoward's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

1.0

This book was such a missed oppurtunity. I thought Taddeo was going to use the stories of three women in America as a backdrop to the psychology of desire and how that presents in our patriarchal society, offering analysis and commentary on women's desires. Instead it was just a retelling of three women's sex lives- one of which is a girl who was sexually abused and manipulated by her high school teacher and I do not how I feel about that being included in a story of 'desire'.

If Taddeo took the time to seek out experts, psychologist, or sociologist, to give commentary and analysis would have elevated allowing the reader to gain knowledge about the psychology of desire rather than just stories of other peoples sex lives. For example, if Taddeo brought in a psychologist the specializes in sexual assault or post-traumatic stress disorder to talk about how the trauma of being a victim of pedophilia can echo throughout ones life and the effects in has on desire later in life would have added more substance to the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Incest

helendipietro's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I was really intrigued to read this book on the premise that it would delve deep into the lives of three women and explore their authentic thoughts and feelings. I didn’t expect it to be so sad and it does touch on many challenging issues. Lisa Taddeo presents the women’s stories in a meticulous, engaging and compelling way. The book honed in on a specific moment in each woman’s life and studied how that moment defined their relationship with sex. Exploring desire through women’s experiences with abuse, degradation and neglect is an unusual angle but as this is non-fiction, I think it is always important to share people’s true life experiences. 

The rawness in each story made it often difficult to read but gripping at the same time. It truly is shocking and saddening what some women will do to fulfil men’s desires, to be attractive to men and to just feel loved by someone. 

Maggie’s experience was the most heart wrenching for me as that abuse of power between teacher and student is so destructive and damaging. The fine details of his manipulation were interesting to uncover and highlights why so many victims aren’t believed or are judged unfairly. Maggie still has a desire for the relationship to continue and sinks into a depression when it all changes. I found this deeply unsettling and was left feeling quite empty when finished reading. In the epilogue, I would have loved more closure about all three women as I was quite underwhelmed by the ending. 

“Women shouldn't judge one another’s lives, if we haven't been through one another's fires.” (pg,122) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide

katie_ponderingthepages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

Three Women is a work of non fiction, documenting the infatuation, love, sex and desire experiences of each woman and how different and nuanced that can be. Lina is in a passion-less relationship and knows she naturally needs more physical contact than she is currently getting so make her happy. Maggie has (should include the work allegedly here although I personally believe her account) had a sexual relationship with a teacher at school and has been rejected and hurt so much she decides to take her teacher to court over his manipulation and treatment of her. Finally, Sloane and her husband who enjoy inviting others into their relationship. 

The writing almost reads as though it is fiction, the retellings are detailed and emotional. Lisa Taddeo’s writing was very deep, sometimes dark and comes across as fair and honest. I started this expecting to feel empowered by these women’s stories, but I wasn’t left feeling that way. I felt the men held most of the power, they had the control and they called the shots. The further I read the more I felt a bit disappointed by the direction of the stories, I wanted these women to proudly have more control. Perhaps though this is the point. In a patriarchal society men’s influence and power infiltrates even a women’s sexual desire. Perhaps that wasn’t the point and I was justified in my disappointment. I’m just not sure. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide

meghanvolkman's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Death of parent

lucyreadsfbe8a's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Taddeo's storytelling is incredible: Three Women is non-fiction yet reads almost as fiction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts