Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

33 reviews

stephanieb0922's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse

kate_not_kate's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

4.25

Potentially with spoilers.

Nope it was definitely not the summer read I was hoping to get. 3 different underage girls are getting rapped. One by her stepdad, other by the brother and main character by her stepbrother. Till the end I don’t understand why she blamed herself what happened with her “DeFiNeTlY not a serial killer” (yes he could be the one) stepbrother.

The real good part of the book was Jonas and Anna. The stories with them were really interesting to read. 

But still, be prepared to read a book where in the second chapter a 9 year old girl is forced to give bj her stepdad and where parents don’t see all the abuse that happens. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment

mdal26's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, and Gaslighting

acatmother's review against another edition

There was so much graphic trauma that did not feel like added to the plot. It was too upsetting to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment

bellaolmstead's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

kyraelisabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

eule's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is haunting and beautiful at the same time. The characters were incredibly vivid and traceable meaning that you could feel how torn apart Elle is between the past and the present. Lovely depiction of nature and the fragility of relationships. 
So much (!!!) emotional trauma in one book. Please check the trigger warnings, it gets pretty graphic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Grief

sunshine_2's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-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

3.0

I had not read a book for myself for a while before randomly picking this up at the library. It was an alright jump back into reading novels; it’s an interesting story that also has highly descriptive imagery for the beautiful setting. However, it didn’t entirely grip me as I didn’t find myself rooting for the prominent love story. A large amount of characters were introduced throughout the story, and it was confusing at times to keep track of everybody. Additionally, there were multiple points depicting upsetting acts that I was not expecting. The ending is obscure and is left to the reader’s interpretation. Overall, it was okay, but I’m not sure I would recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

isabezza's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

I was recommended this book as "one to read in the sun" by a close friend who shares my interest in emotional, reflective reads. Miranda Cowley Heller writes a powerful monologue on motherhood and living with multiple forms of trauma. This novel is a difficult read, but one which inspires the importance of the people around us, and encourages us to question who we love and what we would do for them. 

Knowledge can be power, but it can also be poison. 

There is no such thing as unforgivable between people who love each other. But even as I'm thinking it, I know it's not really true. 

Although the ending of this book was a little underwhelming, this captures the nature of this book, demonstrating that whatever we do (or do not do), life continues. Set in a cycle of summers and the Paper Palace, we follow our protagonist as she describes her family, their flaws and losses; as she reflects on her traumatic past. 

I wonder if he would love me if he could see inside my head - the pettiness, the dirty linen of my thoughts, the terrible things I have done. 

 
I did not find this book as gripping, powerful, or 'lifechanging' as I had hoped, but would recommend to someone who enjoys a similar writing style. 

The passage of time bought only a messy tangle of branches, marking my failure to heal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicide, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

dreadpiraterudis's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-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

3.0

Lots of trigger warnings for this book. Had way more traumatic content than I thought was necessary- not really sure the suffering furthered the plot in a tangible way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Murder