Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

5 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Child abuse, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Racism

adventures_in_bookstagram's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective 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

4.25

Interesting, occasionally surreal with effective metatextual elements and great performances by Kathryn Drysdale and Russ Bain as the narrators. The central concept is creepy and a bit gross (various men lusting after a woman with a child's brain), but those characters are presented as grotesque and/or pathetic so, to me, it reads as satire of male objectification of women (especially girls), especially when we get Bella/Victoria's perspective in the third act. I enjoyed the blend of genres, with unexpected dips into sci-fi (as a Frankenstein retelling), horror and magical realism (the Scream stands out), travel narratives and pseudo-historiography (I really enjoyed the preface and editor's notes, for example). There was also lots of commentary on classism, gender, misogyny (including medical misogyny), colonialism, regionalism (the main characters are <i>Scottish</i> and that matters!) and socialism and it was interesting to watch the naive and sheltered main character discover and reckon with the world's injustices; her long letter to the male narrator was one of my favourite sections of the novel.  It was also a lot funnier than I was expecting, though it ends on a kind of bitter-sweet note. Finally, I loved its strong sense of place and many references to places in Glasgow! This is a weird one, but well worth reading for its unusual narrative choices and fantastic heroine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Medical content, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Misogyny, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Abortion, Incest, and Pedophilia

The central concept flirts with pedophilia without technically actually featuring pedophilia, but some readers may not be comfortable with it. There are also incestuous overtones to the MC's relationship with her Guardian/father figure, according to the male narrator, though his perspective is later called into question. It only features relatively briefly, but the main character is also threatened with a clitoridectomy and shaming female sexual desire is a major theme, this being a novel set in the Victorian era about a sexually-active woman.

secunda's review

adventurous challenging funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

5.0

Delightfully postmodern with very funny prose most of the time. The book’s heartfelt yet satirical take on poverty and gender politics is quite enjoyable. The last chapter in particular makes it worth reading even if you’ve already seen the movie. It gives the novel a very different narrative.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Racism, Misogyny, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Mental illness

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Forced institutionalization

anntharai's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

It's a weird book, okay? A really fkn weird book, but just go with it and things will come together for you at unexpected moments. 

This book looks at stories themselves, the lenses we read them through, the perspectives and biases of the tellers. There is a lot to unpack with this story as well as the construction of the book itself. 

Honestly it was a solid 3 star read until about 75% when it skyrocketed for me. 

Reading this ahead of watching the film and I'm genuinely curious as to how they'll treat the story, because it could be incredible or it could be a disaster. 

It is funny. I promise. Perhaps not in the side holding, tears welling, fits of giggles way but the satirical, deadpan sarcasm, and observational political humour is front and centre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Classism, Infidelity, Addiction, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Grief, Death, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Body horror

Moderate: Suicide

chasingpages1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Abandonment, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Child death, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Death

Minor: Religious bigotry, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Cursing, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Racism, and War