Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

37 reviews

milksoup's review

dark

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.0

a collection of stories about women hurt and humiliated by men and women who, more often than not, want to be hurt and humiliated by men. chock-full of violent straight sex - even when the character in focus of the story is in love with another woman, you will read descriptions of her having straight sex. repetitive elements of a twin bond, the cold north, lumberjacks, hunting. the blurb on the back of the polish edition calls it feminist, i dont see anything remotely related to feminism here. reading this felt like reading torture porn - but for women.

if you want to read about women being hurt over and over by men, usually sexually and often willingly, this is a book for you. why anyone would want that thought, i cant imagine

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Violence, Sexual harassment, Grief, Emotional abuse, War, Vomit, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Kidnapping, Car accident, Blood, Physical abuse, Death, Rape, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexism

tomisin's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Self harm, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Kidnapping

thebookishnurseescape's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Rape, Infidelity, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, and Miscarriage

stutee's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage

sexpest's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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

5.0

This book is one of the best books I have read. I love short stories that still somehow intertwine and Gay does an incredible job incorporating similar threads through each piece while still keeping each story an individual piece of intense storytelling. It's important that each chapter is no more than 20 pages due to the intensity of each story. To be so descriptive, and heart-wrenching, while still being concise is an incredible feat that Gay conquers incredibly well. Be aware that there are lots of talks of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and overall violence towards women. There are also talks of child deaths and difficult pregnancies with the loss of children, as well as gorey descriptions of hunting animals. Never once have these triggering topics felt out of place though - they all serve a large purpose in the stories being told which I appreciate deeply. The writing style reminds me a lot of Carmen Maria Machado's Her Body and Other Parties, which is another book I rated 5/5 stars. Love this author immensely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Self harm, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

loverofeels's review

dark

5.0

absolutely devastating

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, Child death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Stalking, Infertility, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Infidelity

devlev7's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

These stories were disturbing and sad and uncomfortable, in the way human experiences are. The women into whose lives we peak are broken and flawed and strong and hopeful. Don’t let the first story discourage you from pushing on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

The book overall and the writing is excellent. It is also very intense. One you might decide to dip in and out of rather than read back to back. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Child death, Rape, Infertility, Car accident, Sexual content, and Racism

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Animal death, Body shaming, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Car accident, Classism, Gore, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Death, and Gun violence

Not all warnings apply to all stories in the collection. I've done my best below to list what is included in each story. I did make notes as I read but I know I missed some things.

I will follow you: pedophilia, sexual abuse, confinement, panic attacks/disorders Water, All its weight: child abandonment The Mark of Cain: pregnancy, infidelity, child abuse, sexual violence Difficult women: sexism FLORIDA: eating disorders, sexual content, racism, classism La Negra Blanca: sexual content, stalking, explicit rape, violence, racism, racial slurs Baby Arm: sex, violence How: brief violence, alcoholism Requiem for a Glass Heart: sexual content, infidelity, stalking? body horror? In the Event of my Father's Death: sexual content, infidelity Break all the way down: child abandonment, explicit child death, car accident, grief, infidelity, physical violence, sexual violence Bad priest: sexual content, religious trauma Open marriage: sexism, toxic relationship? A pat: classism, Best Features: fatphobia (some internalised), sexual content Bone Density: sexual content, infidelity I am a knife: blood, guns, animal death, miscarriage, birth, medical trauma, pregnancy, alcohol, car accident, gore The Sacrifice of Darkness: suicide, death, bullying, death of parent Noble Things: war, injury, medical content, gaslighting?, sexual content, toxic familial relationship Strange Gods: explicit rape, explicit child loss, sexism, racism, medical trauma, blood, hunting/guns, misogyny, infertility?, gaslighting

kia_y_k's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Cursing, Animal death, Child death, Car accident, Classism, Eating disorder, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Violence

megmoore123's review

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence