Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

8 reviews

priscillarobock's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Addiction, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence

hannahsfictionlibrary's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Gore, Kidnapping, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, and Violence

mynameisrebecca's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Sexual harassment, Murder, Blood, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship

kc7695's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Child abuse, and Death

nonfictionfeminist's review

dark medium-paced

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

2.5

These stories lean more literary, I think, which could be why I struggled to understand several of them (literary is not my genre!). There were a few gems, but for the most part, I found myself skimming through the stories to get the experience over with, and I was often bored. I had such high hopes for this book, but it definitely went a different route from Tender is the Flesh.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Eating disorder, Death, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse

lovelylilelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Suicide, and Confinement

melted_books's review

dark mysterious 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

4.0

 This was a highly anticipated read for me, having devoured the author's previous work, Tender Is the Flesh (yes, pun intended), and I was not disappointed! Bazterrica delivers impressive variety in this collection - you'll read about a girl who grows a bunny between her legs, the disorienting power of a religious cult, a woman intent on making her body into a circle, and many more bizarre tales.
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What strikes me most about Bazterrica's writing (and, accordingly, Sarah Moses' translation of it) is the mastery over leaving vivid impressions upon the reader through the use of stark, even tantalizingly simple, language. This is not a consistent style across all stories (there are notable exceptions, such as the sensory descriptions of food in Perfect Symmetry), but I noticed I was especially drawn to the more simply written stories. This style amplifies the desolate, grim tone, which is the primary reason why I think Bazterrica's writing works so well to horrify the reader; there are shockingly gruesome things unfolding on the page, but due to the confines of the short story structure, there is little space to be flowery. This may be why my favorite of the collection was the shortest of the bunch, The Wolf's Breath, which explores the wolf-life predatory nature of a lurking man, all in just over four short paragraphs. My second favorite was the very last, The Solitary Ones, which is an all-too-believable tale about a lone woman traveling at night when the electricity on her train goes out; the last line gave me shivers.
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This collection is a winner. Tense, grotesque, and starkly written, yet persistently provocative, the stories of this collection will vividly remain in my mind for a long time.
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Special thanks to Scribner for sending me an early review copy! This comes out June 20, 2023. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Murder, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Self harm

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

challenging dark

5.0

For fans of Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enríquez, Agustina Bazterrica is another Argentine powerhouse of feminist literary horror.  Much like her counterparts, Bazterrica uses horror to talk about violence against women, in many forms.  This well-rounded collection includes twenty unique and memorable stories touching on relationships, desire, Catholicism, control, endings, and more.  These stories are bold and breathtaking, dripping with blood.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Abandonment, Grief, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Medical trauma, Blood, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Slavery, Self harm, Confinement, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Animal death, and Death

Minor: Abortion