Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

49 reviews

moa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, and Sexual violence

imds's review

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

heckin_hello's review

challenging dark sad slow-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

2.25

I understand why this book is considered a romance, but in my opinion the main story is a story about thieves and morally grey individuals with a subplot of romance.

I found this book hard to work through, if I'm honest. You could probably cut out 100 pages in the middle of the story and not significantly affect it overall. I was shocked by how unlikable literally every single person was as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

noodletheriddle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Child death

susiereading's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Murder

bites_of_books's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

If you know me, you'll know that I love dark and complex storytelling and Fingersmith fits both to a T!

We follow Sue and Maud, one grew up with a group of thieves in the heart of London and the other was raised by a book obsessed man. There is plotting and scheming, there's questionable morals, a lot of tension, and slow burning passion. 

If you like complex stories where there isn't clear good and bad characters, full of original ideas and an impecable storytelling style, this is for you! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

plume_de_renarde's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Toxic relationship and Lesbophobia

mariebrunelm's review

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

In this lengthy historical fiction paying homage to masters of the genre, two women on opposite sides of the social scale meet, deceive and are deceived.

I’m not a big reader of classics and / or historical fiction.I was attracted to this one, recommended by Jen Campbell, for its queer rep and atmospheric prose, and it delivered. I found in there the slow pace and quiet plot of classics, its exploration of character and setting, but without the usual sexism from the authors of the time. The outrageous treatment of women in the Victorian period is absolutely at the foreground of this novel, but it is very much denounced and fought against with the characters’ means (which aren’t much). Some twists and turns awakened my interest when it was lulled to sleep by the sheer length of the novel. On the whole it’s not a favourite but I can see why it’s bound to become one for lovers of classics and historical fiction.

Rep: lesbian characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Sexism

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Fatphobia

fran2567's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

Amazingly written, sometimes a bit dark, but worth to keep reading for the incredible plot. Great plottwist and development of women characters. Shows women in the complexity of who they, plays with the ‘saint’ or ‘harlot’ stereotype that tents to be put on women.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Lesbophobia

If you have trauma of forced institutionalisation or sexual abuse by a family member, then I would not recommend this book. It does have a happy ending and the main characters reclaim their trauma.

zeus_strider's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Blood, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment