Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

El dios de las pequeñas cosas by Arundhati Roy

49 reviews

machenn's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, Child death, Death, and Police brutality

franzis_buecher's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

4.0

Von Anfang an hat mich der besondere Schreibstil dieses Buchs fasziniert und auch die nicht lineare Erzählweise. Auch die verschiedenen Charaktere und ihre Geschichten und Sichtweisen waren sehr interessant. Besonders, wie die Autorin es schafft, aus der Sicht von Kindern zu schreiben und wie sie die Welt verstehen, hat sich bei mir eingeprägt.

Der Clou an dem Buch: Man weiß schon nach ein paar Seiten, was geschehen wird, aber nicht, wie genau und warum. Diese Fragen zogen mich weiter durch die Geschichte, jedoch wurde ich in der zweiten Hälfte des Buchs dann etwas ungeduldig und hatte das Gefühl, dass es sich zog. Allerdings liegt das auch daran, dass ich das Buch nicht in einem Rutsch sondern immer nur in kurzen Ausschnitten gelesen habe und dadurch irgendwann das Gefühl entstand, dass ich nie fertig werden würde :D

Außerdem gab es leider gegen Ende eine Szene, die ich überhaupt nicht mochte.

(mit den Zwillingen in der Gegenwart). Ich hätte viel lieber mehr darüber herausgefunden, warum Rahel manchmal Dinge sieht, die es gar nicht gibt, oder ob Estha und Rahels telepathische Verbindung irgendwie eine Rolle spielt bzw im Kontext des Buchs real ist? Stattdessen wird ihre Geschichte so beendet, und ich weiß schon, dass es insgesamt um verbotene Liebe und Tabubrüche geht, aber dieser eine Aspekt hat mir trotzdem nicht gefallen und empfand die Szene als unnötig.

Aufgrund dieser Szene und dadurch, dass es sich in der zweiten Hälfte für mich persönlich so gezogen hat, kann ich dem Buch leider doch nicht die 5 Sterne geben, von denen ich am Anfang des Lesens überzeugt war.

Dafür hat aber das letzte Kapitel vieles wieder wett gemacht. Auf genau dieses Kapitel hatte ich die ganze Zeit gewartet und war schon enttäuscht, dass zu dieser Geschichte fast nichts kam außer das ganze tragische Drumherum. Aber das letzte Kapitel war einfach nur wunderschön und ein gelungener Abschluss für dieses besondere Buch.

Jetzt muss ich aber erstmal etwas weniger trauriges und tragisches lesen ...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Pedophilia

Minor: Incest and Classism

hannah_cogo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Incest

apintch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

tahsintries's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Incest, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Xenophobia, Classism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Infidelity

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Oof

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Murder, Classism, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Vomit

ireeeeeene's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Blood, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Racism

Moderate: Incest, Death of parent, and Vomit

moosash's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

• loved the pacing of this, first and foremost. it shifts to anecdotes from the past and present; the weight of these juxtapositions (among many others) or contexts will get heavier as the story and their milieu unravels.
• let me also just mention the metaphors... THE METAPHORS... personally, this book holds some of the most visceral images that it's crazy how it attempts to translate familiar, abstract feelings and thoughts into concrete Small Things we can hold in our palms. the abstract seemingly materialize as flesh-and-blood characters/apparitions in the book that hold physical weight, and loom with effect and purpose over the ayemenem household, and in the other spaces they occupy.
• the characters (in this case, the family members) were also relatable in a way, or at least represent a part of the human psyche or family dynamic that we most likely possess/are familiar with, but often sweep under the rug.
  Ammu, their mother, described as possessing "the infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber"; the Unspoken Love Laws that lay down "who should be loved and how. And how much" + the pain and pleasure that comes with that rebellion; the heavy feeling of doom that lingers in the air after a young child unknowingly sprinkles salt in the wound of an adult, the feeling of being "loved a little less"; the small envy towards a cousin/family member that seems to be "Loved From The Very Beginning"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Grief

cheyneflynn's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

It was beautiful but sometimes I got lost in it. The writing style was great and it’s unlike any plot I’ve read. However it’s essence did resemble The Idiot, I’m still trying to grasp onto that nature of storytelling. I would reread, I think if I could sit with it for longer than the period I was given (ticking of my uni booklist) the rating would be higher. Parts of it made me sick, check the warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death, and Classism

yinflower's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Child death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

Minor: Incest