Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Turnout by Megan Abbott

15 reviews

elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition

dark fast-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

Wildly dark - should have read the trigger warnings.

Update (01.14.2023): Upon thinking about this book at the end of 2023, I think part of the issue with The Turnout is that the book does not seem to really know what it is trying to communicate or invoke. The book swings, but the game is not baseball, it is curling, and the book has interrupted to perform an impromptu interpretive golf tournament. It just does not really seem to make a ton of sense or have a cohesive message, though it is clear that Megan Abbott writes lovely prose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment

callistabanks's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

This was a super weird read. The way it was written was sort of weird and a little chaotic, which I didn't really like, it made it a bit more difficult to read. The writing of the book, while sort of jumpy and a bit incoherent, was well detailed almost more than it needed to be in some places. 
The storyline was also sort of odd, the second half of the book was much better than the first, I really enjoyed when it got into the thrill of it all with the deaths. The ending definitely took me by surprise, which I liked, it was unexpected but it sort of worked. I really liked how this book showed the realities of a dancer/ballerina, from the hard truth of what they go through as children, toughening their feet and also the jealousy and bullying that can happen (for poor Bailey who was chosen for Clara), but also how injuries can ruin it all, as seen in Charlie, who barely even taught after his injuries. I also loved how it spoke of pain being their friend and that's what they were taught by their mother, which is very much a dancer's view and a harsh reality of being one. 

*** Spoilers beyond this point ***

 

I thought their family dynamic was super freaking weird, from Dara and Marie's discussions as children about their bodies, to their mother and father's constant fighting, to their mother taking in Charlie as a "son" but also getting with him and then Dara marrying him after the fact. Not to mention the constant implying of there being some sort of incest between Dara and Marie, or some sort of weird dynamic in which they both shared Charlie, or they were some weirdly incestuous throuple. I also thought that Marie and Dara had a weird relationship with each other, although I liked at the end when they sorta realised how f*cked up their dynamic and how they grew up was, which in turn made them realise they needed to separate. It was nice seeing Marie, away from the dance school and on her own travelling, while Dara went on a different path, and stayed teaching at the school. 
The characters were very much unlikeable, and I didn't feel too attached when either Derek or Charlie died, they were a shock and unexpected but I didn't feel I cared for either of them. Especially considering both of them were cheating on their respective partners, and made questionable decisions throughout the book. 
I really liked the surprise of Charlie killing himself, it was somewhat unexpected, as you didn't really get any insight of his thought process. Additionally, I also really liked when Derek died, I disliked his character since his entrance, and it only grew as you saw how he treated Marie and his wife.
I also found it hard to tell if any of these "accidents" were actually accidents, the fire and then flood in the studio, or the fire in their house, all incidents felt like they were planned by someone.

 

All in all, the story was an interesting one, between the writing style, the story and the unlikeable characters, I couldn't give it more than 3 stars. There were bits I liked and obviously, bits I didn't like, but I think it is a very interesting read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

wormgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Sexual violence, Blood, and Vomit

gondorgirl's review against another edition

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

stevienielson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

nsfinch's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Very good writing, compelling story, but not really for me. It was too dark and twisted, and not in the way I like. I prefer my dark and twisted books to be science fiction or fantasy; this was much too real and human. Content warning for CSA and IPV. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

sphealrical's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury

jennneely82's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Megan Abbot caught my attention from the very beginning. I've never been into ballet, but with her descriptions she sets up an atmosphere where the reader is experiencing the dancing, the pain, and the mind of the dancer. Think Black Swan meets Fatal Attraction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol

professorbadger's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

I’m fairly new to the whole reviewing thing, and this one is a challenge: How do you review a book by one of your favorite authors that you didn’t particularly enjoy?

I love Megan Abbott’s books, and most particularly her books about young women and sports. (Recommend Dare Me and You Will Know Me, if you haven’t read them.) She has a uniquely sharp eye for describing Byzantine, sometimes emotionally violent, teen-girl emotional relationships, and the addition of mystery elements adds enough plot progression to balance out the purely emotional aspects. So I was particularly excited when I learned that her next boom would take on the world of ballet. It seemed like a perfect fit. 

Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. The characters live in an unusually insulated world. (Between the isolation and the graphic descriptions of crumbling physical spaces, it was almost more Gothic Horror than Noir.) But the isolation worked so well that the whole thing felt dense and cramped and uncomfortable. I found it unpleasant and couldn’t wait to be done. 

With those huge warnings, though, Megan Abbott is still a great writer so it wasn’t a total loss. If you like complex, dark emotional tales, you might genuinely enjoy this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Incest, and Fire/Fire injury