Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

12 reviews

sillyduckie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Racism, Body horror, Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Ableism, Suicide attempt, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

writingcaia's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

A beautiful book that addresses issues of vengeance, jealousy, misogyny, ableism and love.
With a little queer rep and a Caribbean slang and color we are told the story of a mermaid, Aycayia, that has lived under the sea for a thousand years due to a curse put on her by jealous women, her only company an old turtle-woman, cursed alongside her, and the fish and sea creatures, that is until she meets the young Black fisherman, David, and because of him gets caught by American fishermen.
But, David, enthralled by the lure of the mermaid, feeling she’s his destiny saves her and tries to help her, with patience and love, and with the help of the crazy white lady with the deaf son, descendant of the owners of the whole town, because she too knows of broken love, knows what it is to be apart, what it is to have a bright son misunderstood by the town’s people, just like Aycayia.
The story seems hopeful as the mermaid becomes more human and love brews between her and David, but will the curse and the town really let them be?
The story is told with a few POV and in two timelines, present and past when David met Aycayia.
With themes such as the ones I mentioned, the love stories - yes because there’s also the love between the white lady and the Black man who left her pregnant with a deaf son - and a beautiful lyrical writing I really enjoyed this read, even if it was slow going in the beginning and didn’t introduce or develop the turtle-woman Aycayia speaks so much about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual content and Racial slurs

Minor: Ableism and Pregnancy

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

 For the fantastical elements, this still gets right at the heart of greed, power dynamics, sexism, and freedom. So realistic in its depiction of the rotten hearts and minds of some men. But not without its tenderness and care in others. Interesting reading about David and the mermaid finding their footing (pun intended) and figuring out power dynamics between the two of them in his house. I was disappointed how quickly she lost her "mermaidness" but that dissolved as the novel went on. But it did end on an exciting note, all things considered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

R****d ableist slur

cm93's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cursing, Sexism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

lyssylyssy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Classism, Colonisation, and Racial slurs

Minor: Grief, Alcohol, Body horror, and Blood

guzzie's review

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

wordsofclover's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Misogyny

Minor: Violence and Suicide attempt

cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment

nialiversuch's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Infidelity, Cursing, Ableism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Slavery

oliviaclaire's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Mermaid of Black Conch is a highly deserving winner of the Costa prize for best novel and has been shortlisted for at least three other awards. It is now also an Olivia Bradshaw Storygraph 5 Star Read.  

This is its own kind of modern fairytale, set on the fictional Caribbean island of Black Conch in the 1970s where a local fisherman meets a mermaid early one morning off the coast. She is later caught by American tourists (who naturally intend to sell her to the highest bidder) and 'stolen' by our afformentioned fisherman, who attempts to care for her as she begins the transition from mermaid to, well, maid I guess. I won't give away any more than that but it is a wonderful and heartwrenching story with a diverse cast of well fleshed out characters. 

The use of description, tone and atmosphere is truly transportive and I fell in love with nearly all of our core cast as we got glimpses inside their lives and their experience of the mermaid. In her afterword, Roffey takes the time to thank the Arts Council of England, The Royal Literary Foundation and The Author's Foundation for helping to fund her progress and if this book is the result, it is a testament to how vital these programmes are!  I adored this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that straddles the boundary of contemporary fiction and fairy tale. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Injury/Injury detail