Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

11 reviews

annmierl's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide

btlitell's review against another edition

slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

My first thought when finishing this was "huh" followed by "well, at least it's over."

I wanted to DNF this a few times, and while I have little to no hesitation to do so, I did at least want to see how this story ended. I'm not really sure it was worth the trouble, honestly. Maybe next time...

My overall thoughts are mixed on this book. It's my first read of a long work by Steinbeck, and I don't know if that's good or bad. I can confidently say I won't re-read this book later or even buy it to have on my shelf. I might read Steinbeck again in the future, but it will probably be Of Mice and Men or The Pearl again.

The characters were interesting with overall good development, but there were too many characters that I felt nothing toward or could have cared less or seemed to make no real impact on the story.

This story wasn't bad, I just thought there were too many moments that seemed to be in the story but weren't part of the story if that makes sense. I really enjoyed that there was a self-aware narrator who also had their own story here and there (which did, in a way, add world context for what was going on in the lives of the Trask and Hamilton families), but I think I appreciated that more because it felt unique more than anything else.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Xenophobia, Suicide, and Racial slurs

irenelpynn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death of parent, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: War

josiew's review against another edition

inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Addiction

asiminam's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Grief, and Death

kmhst25's review against another edition

Misogynistic garbage dressed up as philosophy. I forced myself to finish all 600 pages of this trash so I could come here and tell you not to. The takeaway is supposed to be that all men contain good and evil. We are apparently supposed to take the men part literally, since it excludes the female antagonist of the novel, who is the male epitomy of female evil in the most comically stupid and over-the-top manner. 

Conveniently, almost all of the evil committed by men in the book is committed against women, including (trigger warning: rape)

a woman being gang-raped to death while giving birth.

But hey, the book says, don't hate those men! They loved that baby! This book is the moral equivalent of saying that all prisons should be abolished, and responding "Who cares?!" when someone asks "But what about all the serial killers and rapists?" This is a book by a man for men who can only perceive the world as a male place; it lacks any humanity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Rape, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexism, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide and Animal cruelty

zworlund's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Rape, Suicide attempt, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

clemrain's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

A story paced with characters, and yet none of them are neglected. The careful, slow developments of plot beside characters is rewarding from part to part. I felt like I was listening to a family member trace back a fascinating part of the family history. Or just town gossip told by a stranger.

The first three parts of the story were strong and I was eager to continue reading them. The fourth part is slow and, in my opinion, didn’t pay off well at a first glance. It’s because I just wanted to know the ending, and as it approached it just wasn’t what I wanted. However, I think in this book, that’s sort of the point.

The one major flaw of the story is

Cathy’s suicide. Just doesn’t line up with her character. She had too much ambition and plan. I’m not sure why the pressures and her son’s outburst could’ve led her to that.

The depth of the novel is fun to sit on and think about. I don’t see a strong agenda in the writing. Just a few different perspectives. At the end of the day, no matter what we believe we’re all just gonna die. Good point. 

Maybe some takes in this books might be sour to some. Like comparing the church to brothels. But nothing felt too outrageous to me.

I’m not sure why every female character had to have her chest detailed so much. Nevertheless, those female characters are strong and complicated. And I enjoyed their writing. None of the female characters were too alike which sometimes is a huge problem in classics. 

The biblical analogies are really strong. And I enjoyed the conversations characters had regarding them.

Overall, a long read but an accessible one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion and Animal death

Moderate: Hate crime, Medical content, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual content, War, and Xenophobia

sugarplumstories's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Murder, and Pregnancy

ashlynnoel's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide, and Abortion