Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

8 reviews

jocelyn62013's review against another edition

DNF 38% (ch.48)

 I'm not halfway and I'm tired of "baby teeth" and the female characters being treated like trash (so far for no particular reason- that I would expect in classic horror but is part of why I prefer newer horror books). The first few chapters were good. After reading reviews, it apparently really drags on and gets a bit literal in it's metaphor so I decided not to force it and just read the epilogue.  Reading the epilogue made me feel like DNF was the right choice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping

ripxreads's review against another edition

i cannot believe this was christian propaganda

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Domestic abuse

seawarrior's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

The strongest merit of Imaginary Friend is how it remains equally engaging page after page, which was a relief, since there are nearly a thousand of them. Chbosky's effort developing his characters is a key factor in the story's power. Lore wise, I was somewhat disappointed once all secrets were revealed, yet I was still satisfied reading Christopher and Kate's fight against evil. 

It's difficult for me to gather much more to say about the book since it's so expansive, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to others. I did think the horror was written well, but the true source of it felt trite to me and I'd really been expecting something more original. If you do read it please review the list of content warnings, which is nearly as long as the book itself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mydearwatsonbooks's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Vomit

kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition

Ya know, for the most part I was really getting into the book — I thought the premise was really interesting, and I liked the characters well enough (except for the entire subplot/premise that the MC’s dyslexia is magically cured and now he’s “””smart”””, and the ableism surrounding Ed and his “nickname”).

However, about 40-45% of the way through I was starting to get a bad feeling about the different allegories, so I decided to look up spoilers, and I ended up being right. If you’re wanting to read this book for spoopy horror, and not some weird Christian “good vs evil” tripe, look elsewhere. If I knew what I was getting into beforehand, I would’ve steered clear of this one.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Dementia

smolkeri's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Medical content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Misogyny, and Kidnapping

lycheejelly's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

camillesuzannes's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pedophilia, Slavery, and Vomit