Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

6 reviews

rchulin1's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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

Im so surprised that this was published in 2019 more than 30 years after The Handmaids Tale was. But since this is the case the writing is a bit different but still amazingly done. In this book you get three perspectives: Aunt Lydia, Baby Nicole (all grown up), and Agnes. The story takes place fifteen years after the first book though some of the story takes place only several years later which can be confusing so you see Agnes as a child for a bit then as a teenager and lastly as a young adult in her early twenties while Nicole’s perspective is only from her being 15. Hand maids are not really in this book except for a few moments but I’m glad to have seen the other side of wives and aunts all that goes with it. There’s so many comparisons between Nicole and Agnes since they were brought up so differently but somehow have to work together. I believe this book is easier to read than the first book. Also I loved the “fake news “ bit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

evaeyre's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

an amazing sequel! It’s not directly after the Handmaid’s tale and not in her perspective either, but in turn you learn about a newer cast of characters who are equally interesting — including Aunt Lydia! such a complex and inspiring character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Transphobia and Vomit

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

It took a minute to realize there were three POV but when I did, the story started coming together so nicely. I really didn’t want to put this down. I’m a sucker for a dystopian, corrupt-government tale, and this, much like The Handmaid’s Tale, didn’t disappoint. I really enjoyed getting a peek into Aunt Lydia’s mind. Atwood’s work continues to be timely and relevant and this sequel to the 1985 Handmaid’s Tale was equal parts fascinating and horrifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kileyjojo's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

This is a pretty good follow up to The Handmaid’s Tale. It wouldn’t make much sense as a stand-alone novel so if interested in reading it, the first should be read.
I didn’t expect to have a lot of sympathy for some of these characters and I didn’t at the beginning of the book, but Margaret Atwood surprisingly makes that possible. This goes the opposite way as well, though. This book is a triple perspective one and I found myself disliking characters that are meant to be flawed but liked. Overall, it’s a great follow up to the first book and definitely worth a read if you’re a fan. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

tigertheory's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and War

magnan1mouse's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Incest, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Murder, War, and Classism