Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

49 reviews

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

My library hold expired 😅

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Blood, and Suicide attempt

dennyiii's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bookish_bry's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This is a book I'm going to have to chew on a bit. I really enjoyed the way the story was framed as a group of outsiders' perspectives putting together puzzle pieces of various reliability. The girls were often dehumanized and misunderstood both in the story and by the narrative which was by design. The narrators tried to view the girls as real people but often fell short and I actually enjoyed that part of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Sexism and Toxic relationship

Minor: Religious bigotry

charlies_shelf's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.5

So; The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides is a book. That's one thing that is certain, and while opinions differ on if it's good or bad there's a few things that are again, certain.

This book includes sexism, hypersexuality of minors, racism and Ableism. Some mentioned less than others. 

Now as to my personal opinion, keep in mind there will be spoilers from here on out. 

I liked page 190 and 191 simply because of the music. But that's honestly where it stops. 

The person who's telling us the story seems to end off with anger. Anger because "he was wronged". An example of this is the sentence; "they made us participate in their own madness,...". 

Not only that but there's barely to no build up to the end, which just like everything else has good and bad sections.

Would I call this a bad book? No. 
Would I call this a good book? No.
Because nothing is ever good or bad. 

That's why I rate this book a 1.5/5. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse and Child death

Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism

lexigrce's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

this book is just so tragic, the irony of telling a whole story encapsulating these girls’ lives when they truly didn’t know them at all. i remember first watching the movie when i was maybe 16 or 17 and writing it off. but when i rewatched it a year ago, despite being even further from the sisters’ ages than i originally was, i actually understood. reading the book somehow feels more real, seeing the story as it is without the added glitz of familiar celebrity faces, a bunch of made up stories constructed so that the boys could feel interesting and connected to the girls, as if they could even for a second understand what it felt like to be them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

mgoodrick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse and Confinement

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

paralanguage's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Blood, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

neledeich's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

4.0

"We knew, finally, that the girls were really women in disguise, that they understood love and even death, and that our job was merely to create the noise that seemed to fascinate them."

A group of neighbourhood boys grows obsessed with five sisters and recount their suicides. A fantastic portrayal of the delusional view society, especially teenage boys, has of women. They fetishize them and are convinced to know everything without ever properly having a conversation with them. They are beautiful things to the boys, but they're not actually interested in them and their thoughts, if the girls do show parts of a personality, such as in the ultimate act of suicide, the boys are utterly confused. How can a woman have such complex thoughts and feelings? 

It also explores how suicide affects the surroundings and the entire community. Eugenides captures how isolated the girls were to the point where no one could bring them back anymore. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Child abuse

kelleykamanda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolutely beautiful. Such a thought provoking, lyrical novel. 

Recommend reading this article after finishing: 
“In Defense of the Unsatisfying Ending: The Virgin Suicides” by Janey Tracey 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

cassbarker's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment