Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

45 reviews

mooglemania's review

slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Miscarriage, Fatphobia, Torture, War, Murder, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Cultural appropriation, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

Honestly mid. Plot goes nowhere. Characters unlikable, especially the Trojans. Somehow manages to make a book about the Trojan side of the war where the Trojans are more unlikable than the Greeks. The MC is so inconsistent (and not in a character growth kind of way, in a character has no real alliegance sort of way) and is constantly criticising traumatised women and comparing them to one another and just being the worst. Meanwhile the Greeks are portrayed as these backwards savages who have no respect for anything but the MC is still bending over backwards to praise them every chance she gets. Honestly the author writes well but has no business writing these stories. Can't take these Greek soldiers with their "ullo guv'nor" British accents seriously.

not_alicen's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape

samley's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Child death

meg_sc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I finished this book in 2 days during my commutes to and from work. It had a hold on me that even travel sickness couldn't break. 

It seems like there are endless perspectives on the same story, and I'm loving reading different interpretations of the Trojan War from different points of view - even when I disagree on a character interpretation, I'm enjoying seeing new takes and how they've formed from the same source material. 

One of the things I like about this series is how it views the Trojan War from the side, using characters who are overlooked and forgotten by the main narrative. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Death of parent, Rape, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Child death, and War

alexiasophii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? No

4.5

Just like the previous book in this series,   please be careful of the content warnings, they are NOT a lie or minimized, this is a very heavy, graphic, and pain-ridden book. 

This one, differently from the first, is a lot slower. Just like the Greeks are stuck in Troy due to the weather, so we are stuck in a moment in time in the plot. The entire book focuses on a very short time spawn and it is very character-focused. The characters are amazingly done and I really enjoyed it, though not as much as the first one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Murder, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Vomit, War, and Blood

remuslibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexism, Rape, Death, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Torture, Child death, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and War

Minor: Body shaming and Suicide

rinniereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

2.0

Not necessarily something I would rave about, but it was a good travel companion for my bus ride to work. The story did drag on a bit at times and the ending kind of left me going "that's it?". Definitely caught off guard by the very unnecessary and uncalled for use of the R-slur twice in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Death, Rape, Sexism, and War

Minor: Abortion, Ableism, Animal death, and Body shaming

jesticulate's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Abortion, Blood, Child death, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, War, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Fatphobia and Ableism

quinn22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Murder, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Child death, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Genocide, Miscarriage, Grief, Death, and Deportation

Minor: Torture, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Fatphobia, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child death, Incest, Colonisation, Infidelity, Self harm, Violence, and Xenophobia

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

2.0

I wanted to like it and I tried. I really did. 
I pretended that the inconsistency between the points of view and the title of the book didn't bother me (it's more Pyrrhus and Calchas and Briseis of course than the "women of Troy"). I tried not to pay attention at the lack of story (the whole book could be summarised into fifty pages, with no problem). I tried no to pay attention at the anachronisms and inaccuracies (did the writer really think that's they way people spoke in ancient times even soldiers at war? Also, the veil, was something that only elite, free women wore, as a sign of status). And then I got to the drop that made the glass overflow; the fat shaming. Its never OK, never acceptable to fat shame someone, especially when, as here, does not serve any purpose. I doesn't add anything to the plot, nothing would change if it wasn't there. 
I was really underwhelmed, I had high hopes and expectations from this book...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Torture