Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Die Mütter by Brit Bennett

13 reviews

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

This was a well-written story that, unfortunately, wasn’t for me. I can recognize the great prose and themes in this novel, which I thought Bennett crafted with great care. I think it’s safe to say that I just wasn’t the target audience. I didn’t find the book dull—the main characters really spoke for themselves and had a lot going for them—but I wasn’t especially invested in what was happening either.

Something that I’ve also been trying to parse out but don’t have the words for was the discourse around abortion in this novel. I could have misinterpreted something, but I got the impression that Bennett was taking a rather critical approach to abortion that seemed to weigh down on one of the protagonists, Nadia, significantly. I don’t know if this is a result of the setting (a Black community with strong Christian affiliations), but I really wasn’t sure what to make of it.

All-in-all, an interesting enough book that I think will resonate with some (especially for those interested in books engaging with motherhood and relationships); I just wasn’t one of those people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Rape

aseel_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was such a good read, I really liked the exact amount of plot we were given, we got a good slice of life. Somehow managed to include loads of heavy topics without being too triggering. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

stevefraye's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Sexual assault

chloe_hazel's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Abortion

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Racism and War

jojo_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

thatbookbinch's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Rape, and Sexual assault

thiccandspicy's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.0

Such a strange book to have read to completion for me.

I’m strongly pro-choice, and I guess I was expecting this book to take that stance or at least firmly plant me in the characters’ shoes, but it simply didn’t (a common complaint, judging by the reviews). The only character I really felt for was Aubrey, but even her issues were never explored in detail, relegating her to a tertiary position after Nadia and Luke (who were both utterly intolerable).

The writing style was very engaging, expected from someone with Brit Bennett’s current fame, so I could still put up with the second half of the book though it was considerably slower. The ending was incredibly confusing, and I really don’t know what to make of it

other than ab*rtion bad and ruins everyone’s lives apparently ?????? what a strange message

 

TL;DR The atmosphere got really claustrophobic after a while, and I didn’t quite get the point of the book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Death of parent

joneva's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Pregnancy

whatannikareads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

i finished this book as i got to my destination on the subway and it felt like the universe was present w me. thank you brit bennett for reminding me what it feels like to be completely sucked into a book. but also i wanna fight you bc how could write a debut (!!!) novel this damn good. i think one has got to be my favorite between this and the vanishing half. soooo many good sentences i had to reread bc they were so poignant and made you think.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

pascwp's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicide, Grief, and Abortion