Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Pod by Laline Paull

20 reviews

contemporarymeepsie's review against another edition

challenging dark informative inspiring sad tense 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? No

3.5

Ea is a spinner dolphin that lives in a small pod with her Longi family and kin but when something goes terribly wrong, she decides to leave and gets caught up in the Tursiops megapod of bottlenose dolphins who are crude, violent and possessive. When the ocean demons come calling Ea and her found family have to fight and sacrifice to survive.
This novel is written from the perspective of a dolphin, which in itself, is already interesting. It is certainly unlike many other books I've read and I feel it has a lot of important things to say regarding the ocean and our relationship with the creatures that inhabit it. However I did feel it was a slow book to start. There is an entire subplot about a Wrasse that I had no clue why it was included. I was at 60% of the way through before I got interested. But that isn't to say it is bad. It's actually written very well, and the author did a fantastic job at characterising dolphins and fish so we cared about them as people. Ea is very lovable. Even though he is written to be annoying, I also really liked the Remora as a character.
Overall I found the book interesting but also difficult in places. I'm glad I read it but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Only those with an interest in climate books or books about the ocean.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny

Minor: Child death

bookbinbaby's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense 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

4.0

This is a story of our times, it will haunt and inspire in equal measure, it felt like 'Game of Thrones' meets 'Seaspiracy' for me. Brutal. Reflective. Memorable. The characters are each very interesting in how they are individually and where they interact with each other. Holds a mirror up to how we take and overpower the natural world and don't appreciate the fine balance of mother Earth and are selfish as a race and unnecessarily cruel. Laline Paull and how she is able to draw readers in to a world and society we would recognise but populate it with cetaceans and other sea fellows just amazes me and is a talent that is as unique as it is captivating deserves a lot more recognition.  I'll be reading Bees by her next, and will appreciate the natural world even more in an entirely different way than I ever did before. Powerful.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Colonisation

creepycrawlybookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense 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? No

5.0

I can completely see that this book would not suit everyone, but I really loved it. There were some real surprises in here, amongst the darkness. I generally love fiction with animal protagonists anyway, so maybe I am slightly biased, but I really appreciated this book for it’s beauty, rawness, brutal honesty, heart wrenching twists, and also the rays of hope.
If you loved The Bees, and The Handmaids’s Tale, I’d highly recommend it, but I would definitely check trigger warnings if you need to do so, some sections are brutal to read, representing the animals’ survival and struggles in graphic scenes, so please go in forewarned. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

vrhayes08's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

elerireads's review

emotional sad tense fast-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? No

4.75

A bizarre and impressive book. It's fairly compact but manages to immerse you completely in the marine world and societal structures of multiple different species. My marine biology knowledge is minimal so I have no idea how well they reflect reality but it felt comprehensive and compelling. All the characters felt so real and individual. Somehow, through dolphins and whales and fish, the author managed to incorporate all sorts of interesting perspectives on gender and power dynamics and disability and race and parenthood and consent and displacement and coexisting with cultural differences. And of course, fundamentally it's a book that gives voice to the voiceless and mostly unseen victims of the destruction we're wreaking on marine ecosystems. As I said, impressive book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

wordsofclover's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

hollieebeee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

A very poetic and lyrical novel. The alternating narrators converge in a way which leads to satisfying ending overall, even if I hoped for something slightly different. 

I just found myself wishing for a happier ending. After going through so much that was horrifying, I wish Ea had found comfort not just with her new pod, but with Google too. But I’m a hopeless romantic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Excrement

Minor: Child death

kirstym25's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction and Misogyny

lilifane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is by far the weirdest book I've ever read. And I was fascinated!
It's a book about humans ruining nature and disturbing the balance in the oceans, about the changing life underwater, (found) family and survival.... told from the perspective of a few dolphins and other sea creatures.
This is a short book, but it took me longer than expected to read it because I'm not familiar with all the marine life vocabulary. But I liked the writing in general and loved the atmosphere and setting. And I got very emotionally attached to the characters. Every time I paused my reading, I was pulled back to the book immediately and wanted to pick it up again as quickly as possible.
The plot mainly follows one female dolphin, but it's interrupted by glimpses into the lives of other sea dwellers. I was interested in all of them, and it was satisfying to learn about these cool species and how their stories intertwined.
I have to say that the story gets really brutal and there are too many rape scenes in my opinion.
I think I have to read The Bees now. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

katewhite77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A strange book which would not be everyone. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use