Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - The House of the Spirits

Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

52 reviews

amberacks12's review against another edition

This really pains me because this book has been on my shelves forever, and I thought for sure I would love it. I really do love Allende’s writing. It’s beautiful and lyrical and stylistically very unique compared to anything else I’ve read. I also really love the magical realism elements. It’s quickly becoming a genre that I want to read more of. But as much as I love those aspects, and I want to see where Clara’s life takes her, I can’t allow myself to read a book that makes me feel depressed and disgusted by what some of the characters think and do to others. I literally felt sick reading certain parts of this book. If Ernesto Ferula and his sister took a backseat, then I think I could push through their disgusting way of living. But it seems like Ernesto is quite possibly going to be the main character for the entirety of this book. And I just can’t do that to myself.
Maybe I’ll try again someday. Or maybe I should just resign myself to never reading this book I’ve been dying to read for years now.

Content Warnings

lady_epoh's review against another edition

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fast-paced

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

1.0

It is so bad, I want to give you a zero, but that's not possible, so I give you a one. For a “feminist writer” Allende sure loves making these damsel in distress ass women who have no development and blindly follow their love interest’s whims, and who are constantly subjected to the anger and violence of irredeemable and equally development-less male characters.

Content Warnings

kapsygabby's review against another edition

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challenging informative

3.75

Wow. First, I want to start with how I stepped into this genre I would normally not read. I heard this book and Isabel Allende recommended when I went on a recent trip in Santiago, Chile and it definitely lives up to informing the reader about the dark history of this country and strong spirit of its people.
There is a reason I don’t usually read this genre though and struggled with this book: because of the real life situations and terrors (see the list of content warnings) that are very real on this planet. I don’t mind being educated about the world with nonfiction books because you are able to stand at a safe distance. I don’t enjoy it when it enters fiction and especially when you’re inside the head of these terrible people. Feeling what they feel and thinking what they think. It makes my skin crawl.
Without any specific spoilers but clear content expectations: let me just say very early in the book we are introduced to a character and see the world through his eyes as he objectifies and brutally rapes prepubescent girls. This is a main character we have to continue to see through the book and (of course) there is no apology or remorse for the way he dehumanized others. These actions are key to the plot but I had a very hard time getting through this. It did not need to be so explicit and detailing of his thoughts. Plenty of other disturbing events were shared with less detail and still held the proper weight to story. I loathe how, even this day, men around the world continue to do this exact same or worse and continue to not change their way of thinking and seeing women as things. There is no catharsis or justice. Life just goes on and I can’t stand it.
There are many amazing characters, particularly women characters in this book. Do not get me wrong. But I will continue to be sick to my stomach when I think of this book and this character - who I can never think of as “a product of his time” since I know men continue to abuse power in exactly the same way to this day.

Content Warnings