Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Nella casa dei tuoi sogni by Carmen Maria Machado

86 reviews

clovetra's review against another edition

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

i feel it very hard to summarise this book. especially seeing as it is a biography about domestic violence. 

reading this book was very conflicting. at times, i hated the lyrical and vague writing presented, with abstract concepts plaguing this book, confusing the shit out of me. at other times, i adored the intrinsic thoughts of machado presented, and the format of the story aided in presenting how machado felt.

 i absolutely adored the choose your own adventure portion & the mini excerpts about queer history & abuse. i think i spent a solid 10 minutes pondering the choose your own adventure section. it felt so perfect for this book. the excerpts explaining abuse in queer communities was a great addition, with machado linking the stories to her experiences.

i didn’t really enjoy how this story jumps every where, and a lot of points are repetitive. the repetitive nature is probably a deeper commentary on the cycle of domestic violence i am too naive to discern, but it was frustrating as a reader. it kind of reminded me of “a woman is no man” by etaf rum in that sense - yes, these are novels based in truth, and domestic violence isn’t as simple as leaving. on a purely artistic form, this book was a beautiful explanation of the back and forth present with dv victims. but as a reader it was a difficult read. 

i do think this book has taught me a lot, especially within myself and a lot of lesbian history i didn’t know (shakes head at self). i do also think this book was beautifully written and something every queer person should read. but i don’t know i find there are a lot of “drawbacks” that i can’t even put a name to regarding this book. it’s so lyrical in nature it’s hard to describe what i loved & what i didn’t. 

i feel awful saying all these things because it’s a memoir!!!! this shit is real!!!!!! i am not just critiquing words on a page i’m critiquing someone’s lived experiences!!!!! but i can’t lie and praise this book till the cows come home. i don’t know i feel like this review is a bit scummy seeing as this is based in reality

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy

lpogo16's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Machado had a lot of courage in talking about her story and a lot of heart in telling the story of other queer women. This book really opened my eyes to a topic I never thought to look at head on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Bullying, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Vomit, Dementia, Blood, Cursing, and Confinement

The vibe of this book is really sad. The energy is very depressing though it does take a hopefully turn at the end.

klsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

In the Dream House is a masterpiece. Told in vignettes structured around literature tropes, this memoir follows the rise and fall of a profoundly abusive relationship. Machado is brave, vulnerable, and unflinchingly honest as she exposes the abuse she suffered across a 2 year relationship with another woman. She asks: if we view queer relationships as utopia divorced from patriarchy and hierarchy, are we being homophobic? Are lesbians not humans - complex, hurting, and capable of inflicting extreme harm? If we flatten a group of people into a monolith, we dehumanize them. This book is a necessary addition to the growing work on the incidence of abuse in queer relationships.

I've never read anything quite like this - I loved the vignette narrative structure. The book moved quickly because most sections were short. A couple of the tropes dragged on for me/didn't hit 100%, but I was enthralled and could hardly put it down. A few standouts for me - "Dream House as Deja Vu" (x3), "Dream House as Queer Villainy" (!!!), "Dream House as Bluebeard", "Dream House as the River Lethe", "Dream House as Choose Your Own Adventure" ...... ok, I have to stop or I'm going to quote half of this work.

Even more wild: I was in Iowa City as an undergrad during the events of this book. Did I see Carmen and the Woman from the Dream House at a coffee shop, at Obama's speech, in a bookstore? It makes me shiver, the ways people suffer out of view.

Brilliant. Carmen Maria Machado is an absolute force and a genius of prose and innovative structure. I HIGHLY recommend this book, but mind the CW's. Machado doesn't shy away from the gore at the heart of her story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Violence, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Biphobia, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gun violence

cow_png's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This was an incredible read and I wish that everyone could read this book! I kept thinking about and wanting to read most times in the day. 
The narrative lens were such an interesting way to write!! and I loved seeing how the way of writing would changed with it!
Definitely look at the content warning before reading if you are a sensitive person (Such as I) 
Amazing book, so happy that I read it!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, and Cursing

hollyrebecca's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Alcohol

alexijai98's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

5.0

Beautifully written and a modern classic of queer writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity

christina85's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol

Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cursing

booksandbesitos's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75

A beautifully written memoir about an unfortunate and abusive relationship.

The symbolism of the dream house was very powerful and I loved how the chapters put the dream house as different things to explain the story. The short chapters made it a little easier to consume the heavy topics.
Every chapter is like fragments to show  the big picture. I think that other survivors of abuse can also relate to telling their stories in fragments at first. Until you’ve ready to tell the whole thing. 

Due to the nature of the story, the content in the book is very heavy. I encourage everyone to look at the content warnings before reading this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Pregnancy

mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

This was one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. 

The thing that sets this book apart is the way it was written. The tone feels like poetry while equally being digestible and readable. The switch between first and second person was such an interesting way to tell a story. The "I" was disconnected from the "you" but still told told a cohesive account of Machado's story. The you chapters invited the reader in to examine the parts of their reality that they are disconnected from too. 

This perspective on domestic abuse intersected with queer culture intersected with fat culture and with religious trauma is engaging and terrible and inspiring. 

A wonderful read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Addiction, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Stalking, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Homophobia

Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Mental illness

iwishihadmoretimetoread's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Drug use, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Dementia and Drug abuse