Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

11 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

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

What keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that I fear the author did not intend what I got out of it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Incest, Miscarriage, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Suicide, Blood, Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Insane last chapter: Gray deconstructs & satirises not just the novel but class, love & objectivity in storytelling/history. Keen to see how the film compares! 3🧠 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Classism, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Biphobia, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Suicide, and Terminal illness

bdingz's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The bait-and-switch near the end really threw me through a loop and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content and Gun violence

Minor: Child death, War, and Forced institutionalization

lost_in_stereo's review against another edition

I knew the subject matter in this book going in and knew it was unlikely that I would finish. This was a book my book club chose and I struggled with the content the entire time. The objectification of a child’s mind was not something I could get past. I understand that being uncomfortable is part of the point of this story but for me, I understand the point being made and I don’t care to read about the over sexualization and  infantilization of a woman

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content

shay43geek's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Suicide, and Medical content

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Medical content

lindseytrim's review

dark mysterious reflective

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

helenstratton's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious

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

5.0

I think this book has reignited a love of literature I had misplaced for over a decade.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Infidelity

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Sexual content, Body horror, and Pregnancy

Minor: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, War, Suicide, Classism, and Death of parent

jsuispoesie's review against another edition

challenging medium-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

2.5

If this book had been narrated from the point of view of Bella instead of her husband's it would have been a fantastic read, because Bella Baxter is a chaotic modern woman in a world that is not yet ready to her greatness. She is a doctor, a socialist, she helps women, poor people, children... I would have love to read about her life, her ambitions and her education, but no. Guess we need the absurd story written a man who loves(?) and is jealous of her. I'm really curious and scared about the movie, because in the husband's book Bella is described as someone with an enormous sexual desire... and I fear that the film can only reduce her to this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Colonisation, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicide and Abortion

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