Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

31 reviews

cartermon4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

5.0

I was so frustrated throughout the book, but it definitely hints at real world inequalities and insane expectations for mothers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident

miel106's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

sageysage's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

Fascinating and well thought out premise/plot. The experiences the women in the book have to go through are insane and made my jaw literally drop and share passages with my partner. I wish more was revealed in the ending.

I struggled to understand if I was meant to want Frida to reunite with Harriet as her mother though. Despite her progress, I do think she was unfit to parent. However, the decision for her not to be able to visit Harriet at all felt cruel and obviously her treatment in the centre was inhumane and psychologically damaging. I really wish they revealed how the days following her kidnap of Harriet went, and if the details of the program ever leaked or if those responsible faced any consequences for their treatment of the mothers and artificial children.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia

honeymoonleo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Deportation

alyssard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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 heart wrenchingly beautiful. This book is so many ugly truths that we do not want to face. This book is brilliant. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

cryfest's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

kathleenivy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Torture, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

stailysh1's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a hard book to review because it is written well but it's also horrifying.  Nothing good happens in this book and it put me in a funk while reading it.  I considered not finishing it.  That being said, I did want to know how it ended and where it was going.  It criticizes how mothers are constantly shamed and criticized by society in the hyperbolic way a dystopian novel can.  The characters were not lovable, but they're not supposed to be.  The author succeeds in sending her message, although it did begin to get repetitive.  The hopelessness in the book was fully captured and conveyed.  The ending wasn't altogether a bad choice, but it wasn't satisfying either.  I wish the author had spent more time building the world outside of the main character.  The main character is consistently a doormat, and she is supposed to be, but I did not find it enjoyable to read from her perspective because she barely grows beyond it.  In the end, it feels like the book has made a point but gone nowhere with it.

I plan to read something lighter after this because this is the kind of book that gives you a bad "book hangover".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Grief

jojo50's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Torture

mushymargo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

Wish it focused more on the plot and less on the characters sadness  and loathing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness, Torture, and Pregnancy