Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Φιρντάους

Woman at Point Zero is about Firdaus, a woman who has been sentenced to death after she killed a man. Firdaus speaks about her childhood in poverty, SA, being a sex worker and hating men. This is a true story, that Nawal El Saadawi is retelling, from Firdaus' perspective.

It's a short book, about 150 pages, but a powerful read about womanhood. Many women can probably relate to Firdaus and understand her hatred, and it was a story that greatly impacted me. This is a story about the character Firdaus and her life, and not a plot-driven story, so be aware of that.

I struggled at times with the writing style - there are many details that are described in depth, and sometimes it was too much. There were terms that I've never heard of, as I'm not muslim or Egyptian, but this was not an issue. A quick Google search helped, and it didn't make me enjoy the book any less.
It was a good pacing that I enjoyed, that was a great mix of not too slow, but not too fast.

Content Warnings

booksthehausdown's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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shinsreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.0

It’s a dark, dark book. But I love it with all my heart.

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clairemarie00's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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lilaceous's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

characters - ⭐️

plot - .5⭐️

engaging to read - ⭐️

would recommend - ⭐️

would read again - ⭐️

this book was one of my favorites in high school, and i can see why. it’s a tough, thought-provoking, and moving read with a main character who is so important (even though she would hate to be described that way).

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_itsmejay_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring 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? N/A

5.0

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suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

wow. it took me so long to actually read this book throughout the semester, since life got in the way. this is such an amazing book and a powerful exploration into radical feminism, especially stances related to sex and how that skews perceptions of women. in fact, throughout the text you'll see that exact weaving happening— how sex work and the typical narratives of "empowerment" often associated with it holds a perverse and ugly side that speaks to the wider society. words even fail me now to describe everything this book contains. really great and short (yet powerful) read, but dark, so please check trigger warnings!

Content Warnings

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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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