Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down

13 reviews

e11en's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol

adelopycruz's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

sheeprustler's review

adventurous challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, and Medical content

tabbygwilson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

ameliasbooks's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.5

If you liked A Little Life or are interested in these kind of books, this is a book for you. Don't get me wrong, this is a story dealing with trauma, but the main protagonist is dealing with it in a very different way. It is a story about foster care, abuse, trauma, but also about resilience, about survival, about trying to own a life. The main protagnist is such an interesting character and portrayed really well. 

It is a tough book, but so worth reading and it deserves much more attention. I already can hear people shouting 'trauma porn' and I am happy for these people to have a life, in which only once in a while bad things are happening or nothing really that bad at all. And I'm hoping, that they are able to live protected in that bubble for good. Because out there are people, who have to suffer through a lot.

My only criticism about this book is a familiar one: it is a bit too long and the ending is a bit rushed and somehow neat. Authors seem to be able to create interesting stories and to be weaving in a lot of ideas and details, but often don't really know how to wrap everything up with the same intensity and plausibility.

Nonetheless this is a hot candidate for one of my books of the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

hazeyjane_2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective relaxing sad

• 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? No

5.0

I didn't expect to be so moved when reading this. There is an intimacy to this that I love: the same voyeuristic sense I get when reading a diary. Down takes us inside Maggie's life and builds her, failed relationship by failed relationship, escape by escape, breakage by breakage to a final, contented resolution.

The middle third dragged on a bit, but the end third picked up.

Don't be misled by the blurb - this is not a crime fiction novel; it isn't the story of a mother with Munchausen's by proxy. The prose is superb, like a spoon of honey, sweet enough but not overwrought.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Abandonment

clarezillaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Grief and Abortion

Minor: Death of parent

ecconway's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

balfies's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-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

4.0

It's been said before but good grief. This is an excellent book with truly gut wrenching, revealing prose, and it is also deeply, deeply sad. Incredibly bleak and richly emotive story about the trauma of the foster system and how state violence fails women and children. If you're thinking of reading this one, have a fun book lined up afterwards, and know that it hits every trigger warning under the sun. But I must emphasise: this was very deserving of the Miles Franklin, and is an incredible piece of literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

narpetcards's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Death of parent