Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

30 reviews

tlaynejones's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Mental illness, Suicide, and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism

nisobe's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Rape

shansometimes's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Rape, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Cancer

nicolaroux31's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

A hauntingly beautiful reflection on the relationship between mothers and daughters, bonded by the ties of intergenerational trauma. Danticat’s writing draws you in and keeps you ensnared—I couldn’t put this book down! Cw for sexual violence, mental illness, self-harm, eating disorder, and fatphobia.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Fatphobia

valje's review

dark emotional reflective tense fast-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? Yes

4.5

This is a story about women, family, mothers and daughters.  I found it a quick read - fast-paced, leaving me breathless at times.  It's a story about the violence women suffer by men and the extremes that mothers go to in order to protect their daughters, themselves and their families and the scars that leaves behind.  It was my first Edwidge Danticat, but I'm sure it won't be my last.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicide

emzireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Child abuse

gtea_reader's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Mental illness and Murder

mgraves89's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abortion, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders

clarereadstheworld's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

 Pain and trauma unite four generations of Haitian women in this profound novel, which explores their shared experiences of gender based violence passed down from mother to daughter.

The novel begins when Sophie is 12 years old. She lives happily with her aunt in the Haitian village of Croix-des-Rosets. Suddenly, one day her mother (who she hasn't seen since she was a baby) summons for her to come to America. Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and everyone she knows and loves to start a new life in America.

I thought this was just going to be an interesting, thought provoking novel exploring the experience of immigration, and the trauma of families separated by immigration. However, half way through the novel Sophie turns 18, falls in love and things take a much darker turn. Sophie's virginity becomes a major obsession for her mother, as it had been for her mother's mother before, and for generations before. In trying to be what she believed to be a 'good mother' she actually inflictes a lot of pain and trauma on her daughter. I found the rest of the novel quite hard to read, as both Sophie and her mum struggled to deal with the traumas inflicted upon them.

Some of the effects of the trauma I felt were very compassionately and very well written, but not all. The last section of the novel felt rather rushed, and several new elements were thrown in without being given the time I felt they needed to be fully explored. I would have liked to have taken more time seeing more detail about what happened after Sophie returns to America for the second time.

I did really enjoy the descriptions of rural life in Haïti (in between all the pain and sadness). Danticat has a beautiful writing style, and I could really feel the village life all around me as I was reading. The sections in Haïti were absolutely my favourite.

I was relieved the novel ended with a cautious note of hope that maybe the cycle of suffering would be broken. I don't think I would have coped otherwise.

Trigger Warnings: Rape and sexual violence. FGM and eating disorders briefly mentioned.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Body horror

bookishcori's review

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Abortion

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Misogyny

Minor: Fatphobia, Grief, and Slavery