Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

18 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Colonisation, and War

temberhop's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

kodi_rae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Miscarriage, Self harm, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion

sakisreads's review

challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

This was harrowing but I could not put it down; I read it in 2 sittings 😳

It came up on my BookTok whilst I was searching for Palestinian authors. I’m so glad to have read it. The narratives of Fareeda, Isra and Deya were incredibly engaging. I’m also very grateful to have learned some Arabic terms (e.g. naseeb = destiny/fate).

I was shaken up when Sarah shared the newspaper clipping of Isra’s murder with Deya. But I am grateful that the actual murdering by Adam was never shared in the story. Isra had that last shred of hope 🥲

4.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ Content warnings included below!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

bookishpip's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

liv_txt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Rape, Car accident, and Pregnancy

bookrecsondeck's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Body shaming and Child death

clovetra's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

this book was heartbreaking in so many ways
ill be honest, i find trying to put my thoughts of this novel into words is quite difficult. i have many feelings over this story. 
i felt like crying most of the time whilst reading this book. i did not expect this book to be *this* harrowing. 
i love how there are perspectives from all three generations, and i enjoyed seeing each woman challenge the others thoughts and at times reinforce them.
ill be honest and say many aspects of this book were played up with an air of mystery, which seemed quite predictable for me. i don't feel like its right for me to comment on if its predictable nature was fair or not, but i will say it was a tad frustrating solely from a reader's perspective when mysteries were dragged on for so long.
i'll also say i am a bit disappointed at the ending. i understand the point of the last chapter - im not mad about that. i more so would've liked to see a general change in the atmosphere of fareeda's household. sure change doesn't happen over night, but i don't know, even possibly a chapter of fareeda

reconnecting with sarah, or deya visiting isra's grave

would've been nice. 
im conflicted on this book. it was quite a serious, emotional, and heavy story, which i usually stray from (i use my books as escapism, so reading incredibly depressing books usually destroys my mental health), but i will say this was written incredibly well. it feels tone-deaf to describe the writing as "beautiful" due to the content & subtext of this book, but i will say etaf rum has a magnificent way with words - it toes the line of lyrical yet colloquial which i adored. 
i was very tempted to give this 5 stars, but i didn't scramble to read this book at certain parts, but i will say at the end of part II is when i got really into this book. before that, i wont deny, i was gripped by the plot, but only once the plot picked up, so did my interest. i also do think some of the speech the characters use is a bit forced and clunky, but it wasn't a glaring issue
the book can also be a bit repetitive at times with its dialogue, and it does sometimes feel like groundhog day. i feel i cant properly fault the book on this issue as it fits in its context, but yet again, as a reader it was a bit boring. that feels mean im so sorry
i don't know. i feel like this review is all over the place. and honestly, that's how i felt emotionally reading this book. i can see myself loving this book a lot more through a re-read though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I read Evil Eye last month and gave it 5 stars, and it's near impossible for me to give things 5 stars, so I figured this woman must be amazing I gotta read what else she has. Only one other book?! How heartbreaking! I need more! Etaf Rum the woman that you are!!!

I do feel that if I had read this book first and Evil Eye second, I still would've given Evil Eye 5 stars. These books were written for the culture. Not my culture, but the importance of them, the weight of them, were not just to represent Palestinians and Arabs, but to show other Arabs "this is who we are, we have stories to tell, and we have to be honest with ourselves" and I love that SO much. Etaf Rum you will always be famous!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

Minor: Body horror, Drug use, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Islamophobia, Stalking, and Car accident

cah_ello's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting