Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

41 reviews

caroluvr's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Transphobia and Dysphoria

bruisedtigers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I liked this book a lot to start, then found my enjoyment waning as it went on.

Nancy's story is broken into three parts. The first features her and Kitty, a stage performer who she falls in love with. For me, this was the most enjoyable part. Watching Nancy bloom from her humble roots into a star felt very tangible and the author paints a very charming atmosphere. The second part, however, changes tones and Nancy becomes a renter and eventually falls into the employment of a cruel older woman. This section, while I appreciated reading Nancy exploring gender presentation, has impending dread hanging over it. Nancy's decisions at this point (combined with another girl suffering for her mistakes) start to make her less endearing. The narrative doesn't excuse her behaviour, but it's no less frustrating to read -- and this continues for the third part. It's difficult to really feel enamoured with the third section, since Nancy spends a great deal of it being accidentally unkind and secretive. Her final and 'true' union suffers for this, sadly, since it doesn't feel as fully developed as it should.

Storygraph doesn't have an clear content warning that I can find, but I would forewarn for Nancy being forced into sex work, and the abusive relationship she finds herself in when part two begins.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

space_bandit's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Rape

Minor: Racism

rosalind's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Grief and Dysphoria

confusedmuse's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

It was a bit slow at the start for me, but once I got used to the style, the story really hits. A must read for LGBT+ fiction.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Cursing and Drug use

orchidd's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Grief

Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Miscarriage, Racism, Suicide, and Classism

cutewitch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

My god! I feel a fool for putting off this book for so long. Astounding—easily one of, if not my best books of the year. Not just a book, but literature… something I’ve been missing! Yes, my only complaint is that the beginning is slow; it’s true, the first 3 or 4 chapters I had a hard time getting through. But after that—wow, did I race through it this week! Yes, Nan is unlikable, but she’s real; isn’t that part of the point? You want your heroines to be perfect all the time? She is real, and quite unique, and all the characters around her are equally fleshed out. I also kind of wish that it was historically accurate; I didn’t realize it wasn’t until I read that bit bu the author included in someone else’s review. But that doesn’t really take away from it—the world feels so real, who cares if it isn’t?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

vanadiumbean's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

cnidariar3x's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Gorgeous sapphic bildungsroman with a sprinkle of "Napoleon Dynamite", a pinch of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" but sticks the landing much better with more nuance than either.

I love this book so much.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Classism

denimtuxedo's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body shaming, Physical abuse, and Sexism