Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

220 reviews

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was truly mind numbing.  
It was political, a world in crisis. Gender wars like never seen before yet in its writing reflections to past global crisis and breaks in a light I’ve not read before.  

It has conversations of Zionism, UN conflict, gangs/militia , war zones, media in war and more. 

It also has religious crisis, drugs crisis and family betrayal, leading some of our main characters jos, Roxy and allie on crazy pathways over the years this book takes place. 

One becomes a warrior of state, another like a new Jesus known as “mother eve”, and another with huge family gang affiliations. 

This was such an interesting read, set out like a transcript exchanged between two friends/authors, riddle with religious/historic artefacts as if this tale is a break from history trying to be understood. 

I picked it up due to intrigue of the women having power and the men not but besides the expected misogyny from the men unhappy they don’t have power I couldn’t have predicted anything that was going to happen in this book and was thoroughly wrapped up by it. 

I would most definitely reccomend this to anyone looking for a unique, intriguing read and look forward to trying out Naomi’s amazing writing again in future.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gore, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Death, Trafficking, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and War

surelyyoujess's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Genocide, Murder, Sexual assault, Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death, Drug use, Gore, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and War

ljp817's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Trafficking, and Transphobia

Minor: Drug use, War, and Religious bigotry

leah_alexandra's review against another edition

fast-paced

2.5

This was pretty bad, overall. There’s so much going on that it leaves absolutely no room for nuanced explorations of some of the more interesting ideas that undergird the book. It’s pretty violent, and I really had a hard time getting behind the idea that in just a few short years of development this “power,” hordes of women would just flip to exacting the same kind of violence against men as men do against women in patriarchal societies. The book relies on a gender binary in a pretty problematic way, and religion (theoretically all religions, but in actuality Christianity) is very centered in a way I did not expect. I didn’t feel like I was able to connect with any of the characters, and they were written pretty unrealistically, powers aside. The writing itself was also quite juvenile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Drug use, Murder, Rape, and Violence

haileearynn's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Thought-provoking and well-written. But not something I particularly enjoyed reading due to the dark storyline and reminders of real-world injustices that left me angry and upset throughout much of the book. Glad I read it, but probably not one I would ever read again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Sexual violence, War, Child abuse, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Violence, Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, Religious bigotry, Rape, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Death, and Colonisation

kingsteph's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Torture

Moderate: Antisemitism, Homophobia, Murder, and Drug abuse

Minor: Slavery and War

mel_bee_421's review

challenging dark slow-paced

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

0.5

Blasphemy abounds. Nothing is really wrapped up in the end. I have more questions than answers and I didn't enjoy the journey. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Misogyny, Violence, Pedophilia, Hate crime, Sexism, Physical abuse, Vomit, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Rape, Gore, and Sexual assault

phantomgecko's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

1.0

Yet again, I find myself asking why I even finished a book. This premise had potential, but the book is vile.

Imagine Lord of the Flies but on a worldwide scale. The absolute worst humanity has to offer. Every character is a sociopath (to varying degrees). It says people are essentially bad. Specifically women are essentially bad.

I know hyperbole is used to make a point, but this was just disgusting. Like, some possible morals of this story are power corrupts, or feminism is about equality and not supremacy. I guess. 

In this story, apparently when women gain physical power over men, they lose all sense of morals, get significantly more stupid, and suddenly super into cults and cocaine. You can argue, "not all women" in this story. It does mention that not everyone is into the sadistic hellscape that's created. But like, obviously enough women that earth turns into a sadistic hellscape.

Also, offensive that women are in power for a mere five years or so before they blow up the entire planet. We made it through decades of the cold war with "men in charge." It perpetuates the hateful idea that women are "too emotional" and not to be trusted with diplomacy or rational thought.

Would some people abuse a power like this? Yes. The revenge stories ring plausible. But to switch all the way over to being "as bad as men" have ever been (IN FIVE YEARS) is pessimistic garbage. Author obviously has no faith in humanity. Depressing, nihilistic bs.

Like...women don't all secretly hate men. In reality, many women have healthy relationships with men either as friends or lovers. Women aren't just pretending to like men because they're being subjugated or whatever. I cannot fully express how detestable Alderman's vision of women is.

There are multiple rape scenes, one of them explicit. Again, I get that a point is being made, but it's vile.

I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt re: the voice in Mother Eve's head. Girl is schizophrenic and not being visited by a higher power. The implications otherwise are just really nasty.

And finally, I believe there is a balance to be found in profanity. For maximum effect, it should be used strategically. "But that's how people talk" --I don't care. In fiction, characters don't always talk the way real people do. And having the f word repeated willy nilly honestly lends a childish tone to the book. Like the author is a kid that's so excited to learn a new swear. Grow up. Learn nuance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Sexual assault, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Confinement, Drug abuse, Sexism, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, War, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Trafficking

zazasaad's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I couldn’t put this book down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Genocide, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

readinbythesea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

I mean, wow. I don’t know what to think. This book made me feel so disgusted with the human race. Whoever is on top will eventually abuse their power, and it’s disgusting. The violence descriptions, the rapes, the deaths, so futile, and as is said in the book, happens just because it can. It was a difficult novel to finish because of it. I only realized at the end that the archeological finds weren’t from our timeline, but that this book was written from a future point of view (because I skipped over the letter in the beginning oops) but I thought that was really clever. Could tell the Atwood influence there since something similar happens in Handmaid’s Tale. What was disappointing was that the only solution was a Noah’s Arc situation. I mean, our world is fucked up, not to the book’s extent but still, war is not a solution. Would have been more appreciative if the book gave me a glimmer of hope for a future equal society at the end, but maybe that’s too much to hope for in such books…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, Sexual violence, Murder, and Pedophilia