Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Paradais by Fernanda Melchor

35 reviews

sarajjunu's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

writing is good but it’s so boring!!! the plot is okay? i get the shock value aspects in the end but it’s just so annoying and since the protagonist had ZERO depth to him there was really nothing to focus on when reading? it was all “fatboy this fatboy that my annoying mom my stupid cousin” and then they do something horrible in the end and it’s like… okay? i feel like this entire book could’ve been 30 pages because i would’ve loved to read about the narrator AFTER the event because he finally seemed to be developing but nooo

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Rape, Murder, Homophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism, Body shaming, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Incest

connieevans's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.0

This was just too brutal and too much for me. I can appreciate what (I think) Melchor is trying to do - highlight how poverty/wealth can warp an individuals grasp on life and what is worth doing and what they’re entitled to do - however I really struggled to see past the disgustingness of this novel and I just spent the whole time feeling sick and wanting it to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Alcohol

okaymistelyn's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

this book was….a lot. disgusting, fucked up, uncomfortable, all of it. but it was still good. just prepare yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Ableism, Alcoholism, Rape, Body shaming, Alcohol, Violence, Incest, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

junejunejulyjuly's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Classism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Addiction, Violence, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Stalking, Sexism, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Body shaming, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual violence

whatadutchgirlreads's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Fatphobia, Violence, Cursing, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Murder

Moderate: Excrement, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, and Classism

patidimauro's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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: Rape, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Pregnancy

cmcrockford's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Pretty great crime novella even if part of me thinks it should be a short story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Classism, Excrement, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Vomit, Murder, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Incest, and Sexism

Moderate: Ableism

Trigger warning seems like a pretty useless phrase for this book.

bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Horrific, disgusting, frightful and nauseating, ‘Paradais’ is a story about porn addiction, taking the reader directly in the mind of a raging misogynistic boy.

Located in a lavish residential complex in Mexico, ‘Paradais’ follows Polo, 16, alcoholic, living in an abusive house with his mother and “oversexed pervert” cousin Zorayda and Franco, or “Fatboy”, an overweight teenager addicted to pornography living in the wealthy residence of Paradise where Polo works as a gardener. Franco develops an unhealthy obsession with his neighbor, Senora Marian, a beautiful woman married with two children. 

The two boys end up in an mutualist relationship, Polo gets free alcohol from Franco and Franco gets to have an ear to listen to his horrific rants about Senora Marian. As time goes by, Franco convince Polo to follow him in a gruesome scheme he planned. 

‘Paradais’ is narrated in this torrent of prose and stream of thoughts, clustered-like paragraphs that make the reader feel trapped in Polo’s mind as he slowy drives himself to madness. 

I knew from the very beginning how the novel would end, not because I was spoiled but because it is quite obvious and yet I still found myself hoping for a good ending, a redemption arc from the characters, wishing for them to back up from their original plan. 

I was planning on giving 4 stars but I settled for 3.5 because this book just doesn’t sit right with me. Upon finishing it, I felt like it was more revenge-violence-porn oriented and was lacking in concrete depth and moral. I felt disgusted to say the least. This book is nasty, in a good and bad way. 

After sitting and letting the book marinate in my mind I came up with the conclusion that it was not a fun read and was never intended to be one. It is, ultimately, a book about violence and how normalized it is in our society. I applause Fernanda Melchor for her talent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Incest, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Torture

margarrrita's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Alcoholism, Gore, Incest, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, and Murder

syd_the_bookish_kid's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Stalking, Drug abuse, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Racism, Pregnancy, Blood, Ableism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Cursing, Addiction, Bullying, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Fatphobia, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Toxic friendship