Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

8 reviews

thatchickengirl23's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Animal death, Slavery, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Ableism

Moderate: Abandonment, Trafficking, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Alcoholism, Rape, Blood, and Bullying

Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, and Car accident

kmanhart's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“It was incredible and wretched and heartbreaking all at the same time.”

This book is a guy punch, followed by another, then a swift kick in the throat. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Animal death, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty

bookacholics_anonymous's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Death, Animal death, Sexism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Grief, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization

beeh's review

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Animal death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Slavery

karaober's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

What a sad book!  I can't imagine living with Lilly's hateful parents and then working under her bosses at the Circus.  I couldn't put this book down towards the ending and I was furious even more so of a few of the characters at the end.  

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Animal death, and Alcoholism

suzanne_between_pages's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

ashleyelizabeth's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

Extremely, extremely sad

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Grief, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Rape, Murder, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Infertility, Confinement, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment

esszeegee's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

This is a story that breaks your heart.  It is told from the perspective of two women in two different eras.  Afflicted with albinism, Lilly's mother sells her to the circus during the Depression in the 1930's.  

As Lilly adjusts to circus life, the story changes to Julia. It’s the 1950’s, Julia is 18 and has run away from home, leaving behind her controlling religious mother - this is the area of the book that just slowed everything down.  I would have rather just read about Lilly.  Julia was boring.

This book is a hard read. It is dark, disturbing and filled with an intense amount of suffering.  Be aware there is physical as well as emotional abuse, and severe mistreatment of animals in this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse