Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

12 reviews

catebutler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

MENG 6510 Eminent Writers: Lahiri & Nguyen Fall Semester 2023

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Death, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Genocide, Sexual content, and War

itismebruna's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, War, Alcohol, Gun violence, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs

veronicats's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Gore, Racism, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, War, Sexual content, Slavery, Misogyny, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Torture

samarakroeger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

a very solid book that actually made me somewhat curious about the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon, thus prompting me to do some research about a topic I previously found quite dull. 

this truly is about the duality of man.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Stalking, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Violence, and War

fongyay's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, War, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Vomit, and Racial slurs

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Fatphobia

aidrielle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective 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

[lots of thoughts i won't be able to expound] all i can say right now is i wish all asian american literature were like this (critical of the imperialist US that forcibly displaced many of them from their countries of origin in the first place) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

bagxofxtricks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Rape, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture

merle98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Great book but I am detracting 0.5 stars for the fact that every single female character in the book is either a food-providing wife/mother, a love interest or sexual partner or being brutally raped/tortured/killed off to advance the male protagonist's plotline (or a mix thereof).  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gore, Murder, Vomit, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Colonisation, Blood, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment

kshertz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

The writing is beautiful which is to say, way above my reading/intelligence level. But at the end it does say it’s not for the dominant white groups so that makes sense. It’s not for me. It’s not linear, there’s no way a book about the Vietnam war is going to have a happy ending. But I learned a lot, which is the whole reason to read it and it challenged me. So, I recommend it if you want to be challenged and learn a lot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Child death, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Torture, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Confinement, and Colonisation

fluoresensitive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Tw; rape, so ... So many unsettling things
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Beautifully written, but shockingly anti-Black at times. Not to mention the two rapes that take place, oof.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Death