Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

52 reviews

zeldazonks's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This is quintessential Stephen King; troubled writer, precocious kid, a few abused/traumatised women, an alcoholic etc. So make of that what you will. I found the start pretty slow going, but once the action kicks in I was gripped. There are aspects of King's writing that I struggle with (jahoobies and liberal use of slurs) but I also love the way he writes. I feel like you really marinate in the mindsets of each of his characters and there are certain passages of prose that blow me away. So I give King a lot of free passes that I probably wouldn't if he wasn't such a staple on the bookshelf of my youth. As far as a Stephen King novel goes, I liked it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Murder, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Homophobia

the_cheerful_necromancer's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

Ported over from my now-abandoned Goodreads:

Quite frankly this is my favourite King book. It's terribly bleak, but it manages to be tentatively hopeful too. The tension and the pacing kept my attention all the time, and I inhaled the book over the course of a day or so.
I found myself really, truly rooting for every one of the POV characters. It's a product of its time, of course, and features quite a few very heavy themes and detestable side characters (what else is new?) but overall this one holds up brilliantly. I know I'll be coming back to it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Alcoholism, and Rape

Minor: Homophobia

Buyer beware: This book was written in the 1970's, and sometimes goes out of its way to make snide remarks about gay people. It's almost funny how much of a non-sequitur every inclusion of homophobia is; literally none of the characters are actually gay, at least as far as we see.

eldritch_ace's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Animal death

Minor: Medical content, Child abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying

toastrats's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Blood, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Infidelity, and Homophobia

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Rape

jaysees's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

Minor: Homophobia and Rape

introverted_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, Gore, Car accident, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Cancer

polargare's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Rape, Violence, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Blood, and Death of parent

erafact's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Racial slurs, Car accident, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Cannibalism

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Excrement, Stalking, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, and Alcoholism

Set in a rural area in the 70's, lots of slurs thrown around. A man catches his wife cheating, then beats her and rapes her over the next couple (?) Weeks. Several children die. A dog is killed but not graphically, we just find its body.

caro_mac's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Child death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Addiction and Alcohol

cass_lit's review against another edition

3.5

I would like to have a talk with Stephen King’s editor, because I have suggestions. Cut the slurs. Cut any sexual comment about an underage girl (and maybe even the ones about adult women — this man called breasts “jahoovies” MULTIPLE TIMES). Cut ~150 pages because this does not need to be as long as it is. 

I felt about this the same I do about most Stephen King books. The bones are there and so good; he’s unmatched in his breadth of horror plot lines. But my god is this long book filled with writing that you’d think was intentionally trying to alienate women, queer readers, people of color… basically, Stephen King writes for straight, white, cis men and the rest of us just take what we can get from it. I loved the vampires and the haunted mansion on the hill, just hated all the characters and the way they talked and the way they were talked about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Violence, Child abuse, and Blood

Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Transphobia and Pedophilia