Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Being Lolita: A Memoir by Alisson Wood

57 reviews

madelinequinne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

A hard and heartbreaking memoir to get through, but so important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

tanvi45's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Mental illness and Self harm

full_of_flowers's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

A difficult read but an important one. Wood's recounting examines grooming and abuse, as well as the predatory culture that often surrounds young girls, with power and the sadly-still-needed reminder that however pervasive, it. is. not. okay.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault

helenamichelle's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

elkiebear's review against another edition

dark sad

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

crawforl's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm and Abortion

laurenvoice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

Being Lolita: a memoir is brave, raw and emotional.

Giving this memoir anything less than five stars would be an insult. Alisson Wood bared her heart and soul in telling her story of power and abuse. Wood beautifully intertwined her story with Nabokov's story Lolita.

Part i was about grooming and emotional manipulation.

Part ii was about emotional and physical abuse.

Part iii was about discovering the truth, breaking the cycles and patterns of being in abusive relationships, and relearning what love is. Part iii spoke about the language used in stories to manipulate the reader, like in Lolita.

In this memoir, Wood made reference to Disney princesses: Ariel, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty; all these girls, portrayed as young and vulnerable, needing a "grown man", their prince, to save them. There were references to Alice in Alice in Wonderland, who was a child, small and vulnerable. And there were references to Lolita, Dolores Haze, a young girl, a child abused by an adult man, described as the seductress, as the one with all the power. When in fact, it was Humbert with all the power. Just like Alisson, she never had the power in her story; she was vulnerable and preyed upon; the teacher held all the power, and he used language and stories to manipulate her.

Being Lolita: a memoir is an emotional but empowering read. To understand the references made within this book, I would recommend reading Lolita by Nabokov. However, Wood does a spectacular job of speaking about the use of language used by Nabokov to manipulate the reader. Being Lolita: a memoir is an essential read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Self harm

ivanaestaba's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

read my dark vanessa prior to this and they definitely go hand in hand with each other, obviously check trigger warnings but still i would definitely recommend. i am so moved by this book, alisson wood has such a way with words! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Self harm

librarymouse's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

Alisson Wood's accounts of her youth and struggles with mental health are incredibly tangible and relatable. The way she writes, weaving the narrative of how she was told to perceive her being groomed by her teacher, with the reality of the situation and the storyline in the novel Lolita make for very engaging storytelling without trivializing the memories and issues she explores. To use Lolita as a lense, framed as a love story, through which to view their relationship and then recommend Alisson go to school for English implies that Nick Norris either profoundly stupid or incredibly vain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Vomit

iinasomnia's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Alcohol