Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

12 reviews

voicenextdoor's review

dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

krosebooks's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

It took me a lot longer to finish this book. Not because it was bad, but because it was so much to digest. There are dark scenarios which I had to process. Good book but not an easy read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

quinn24's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Told from the POV of Astrid Magnussen, daughter of a manipulative poet who is imprisoned early in the story for the murder of an ex-lover. The story follows Astrid through her various foster homes for the next 6 years as she grows and tries to escape her mother’s grip. 
This book was written in such a beautiful way there were so so many quotes I underlined. There wasn’t really anything that I could  personally relate to but it almost felt like I understood at times. There were moments where it was kinda boring but that’s almost always how it is when a book follows someone’s life. The N-slur is used a couple times and while every time it is used it’s clear that it’s not a good thing to call someone (it’s used by a terrible, racist character) it’s obviously still not great for a white women to be writing it. Overall though it was really a fascinating meditation on a very complex mother-daughter relationship

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism

sizzlesteaks's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying

averagereadin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

3.5

solid, but at some point it’s just the same all over again

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Rape

reesespuff6's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

raisinreads's review

dark emotional

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I don't know what to rate this book bc parts were quite well written but also judging by the way many parts were written i don't think i like the author as a person 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

hellothereforeitsalex's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A well executed story that deals with heavy topics with ease and weaves the trails and tribulations of main character Astrid’s coming of age story alongside the passage time.

⚠️READ TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

danirc_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

beautiful prose backed by a plot of self destruction 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Alcohol

Minor: Medical content

possiblymaybe's review against another edition

sad

• Loveable characters? No

the beginning of this novel raised my hopes, i was really expecting a great read. then the story continued and was just irritating. if it was edited to half the length and actually given a decent development and ending to the story, it would be a good book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment