Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

14 reviews

frekdal's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence

izzold's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood

seanamcphie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Death, Gore, Grief, Violence, Alcohol, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Addiction

natalia's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Gaslighting, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Animal death, Death, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Stalking, Violence, Biphobia, Drug use, Suicide, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, and Vomit

lizsurber's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Biphobia, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Gore, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

emouemi's review against another edition

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Kidnapping, Gore, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Mental illness, Homophobia, Death, Classism, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Violence, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Infidelity

mizmeeshell's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, and Torture

Moderate: Drug use and Homophobia

Minor: Sexual assault

dylan2219's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.25

In so many ways typical BEE fare - here are the brands, here are the bands, here are the cars, here are the drugs, here are the blood and the cum and the emotional nihilism - but also has a weirdly mournful quality brought by his stab at (parody of?) auto fiction. The book is maddeningly repetitive and overlong - definitely a consequence of his serialisation of it - and for long stretches I was bored out of my mind. Even if this is the desired effect, it remains (like in American Psycho) massively unpleasant to read. Like that book, too, sex and violence are treated with a medical-gothic style that makes it grow increasingly anaesthetic. It would be more effective without Ellis’ needless signposting that he is chasing after that feeling of blunting and numbness that he has cultivated his whole career. By the far the most interesting aspect, improved by his own reading of the audiobook, is the way he seems genuinely traumatised and haunted by his own career and life. He is aware that his childhood and adolescence has infected him with a kind of strange desire for transgression, that ultimately leaves him cold and affectless. His books, too, have brought him no pleasure, and writing feels more like a way for him to try and get it all out of his system. I can respect and admire this, and we are given more insight into Ellis’ protagonist (and hence, self) by the level of first-person psychological detail, in a way that is more compelling than in his other work. And the narrative twists, and slow unravelling of this voice as the book goes on only adds to the appeal. Not sure I think this is a good book, but there are things about it I enjoyed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Suicide, and Gore

lauren_stephh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

rhiannatherad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Homophobia