Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende

15 reviews

mightyoscura's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Torture, Misogyny, Medical content, Gaslighting, Deportation, Classism, Child death, Blood, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, War, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Colonisation, Abortion, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

the_last_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Classism, Pedophilia, Rape, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Slavery and Abortion

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Sexual violence, Abortion, Blood, Car accident, Slavery, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, War, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Violence, Animal death, Colonisation, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

kaffee_auf_ex's review against another edition

dark informative tense slow-paced

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

1.25

oh. my. fucking. god. 

I was so relieved when I finished this book. I wouldn't have finished this if I hadn't been reading it for a book club.

Let's start with the positive: Isabel Allende obviously knows how to write. I also really enjoyed the historical context that we got. That's about it.

The book is very graphic. I don't mind that in general, in fact I enjoy it sometimes. But not when we have to listen to the thoughts of pedophiles, rapists, racists and killers and also get the very details of their actions described to us.

We have 3 female main characters but never get their perspective. Instead, we hear from men that are the literal worst. 

People tend to love Clara because "omg she's so dreamy and quirky" when really, she just enables her husband to do the worst things to the women around them both including his sister even though Clara supposedly loves here. I mean, what's that about?

Also, I hated the racist terms used but I know that it's  because this book is old.

In conclusion: This book was well written but I hated every second its content.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Sexism, Torture, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Death, and Slavery

linda_elaine's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Rape, Pedophilia, Racism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

riffmonkey's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

1.0

I in no way understand why my mother recommended this. I also do not get why the rating of this book is so high by so many people. In the first chapter, there was already much unnecessary grossness and violence towards women. But in the second it was even worse, and it did not get better as the book went on. Call me crazy but I would rather not read a whole chapter about some racist, misogynistic, child-raping paedophile having a tirade about how much better he is than everyone else and trying to justify his slave-owning ass. 

I do not want to read about exploitation or rape. I do not give a shit about torture and the most dark psychological hellscape you can come up with. But just 500 pages of a garbage human ruining the lives of this magical family made me feel sick to my stomach. It's a fucking miracle I even finished this book although I am quite sure I was dissociated for the last 2 chapters at least. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Torture

deniseh's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Confinement, Abortion, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Slavery, Genocide, Incest, Colonisation, Cursing, and Vomit

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

While I felt that this book was difficult to initially get invested in since the plot didn't have a clear direction, and the narrator was unknown, once I fell into the story I was able to appreciate how lyrical and magical the writing is, even when describing horrific events. At its roots, this is a story about how a single patriarch destroys an entire country. Yet it blooms a story of family triumph and tragedy, of love that endures destruction, and how acts of violence are never restrained to a single point in time. It's a modern epic that is as rewarding to read as it is distressing. Although reading it does require a level of acceptance that this family is steeped in racism, misogyny and the violence inherent to massive wealth, I did think the book has worth. I would recommend it to those that can withstand reading about the subject matter, namely, the egregious sexual, physical, and political violence the leading character commits over his seemingly never-ending lifetime.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, War, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

denisesbookstory's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Classism, Death of parent, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Slavery

chiaraaaa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abortion, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Genocide, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death