Reviews tagging 'Sexism'
Mis Últimos 10 Minutos y 38 Segundos en este Extraño Mundo, by Elif Shafak
16 reviews
imlfox's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Child death, Death, Racism, Alcoholism, Drug use, Hate crime, Dementia, Misogyny, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism
mallard_duck's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Here's a girl from an increasingly religious family, riddled with misplaced guilt and unable to find justice after being sexually abused by a relative, who decides to run away from home to seek a better life in a big city - where she becomes easy prey to traffickers and sold into forced sex work. Her best friend, a trans woman who becomes a sex worker because that's one of the only career paths available to her. Another naive girl with no support from family who believes in lofty promises of work in a foreign country but ends up sold to a brothel instead. A woman who ran away from her abusive husband to start a new life elsewhere, the fear of being found (and brutally murdered) by him always casting shadow on her life. A dwarf trying to make a life in a world that'd rather not see her. Finally, two men: one a somewhat idealistic revolutionary, the other living a quiet life tinged with regret that doesn't feel like his own. As the backdrop to their stories, perhaps a seventh character of itself, is the tumultously changing Turkey of the second half of the 20th century.
Now, despite starting with a murder, this story isn't a detective novel, or even a crime novel, really. It is a character study: using Leila's death as a trigger point, Shafak delves into the lives of those six distinct characters, exploring how their experiences shaped them and how their lives eventually became intermingled. The writing is good, the whole book - entertaining, although I'd hardly call it outstanding or unique. Each individual story follows a path that's both believable and extremely predictable, even to a reader not very familiar with the Turkish, Middle Eastern, and African societies. I hesitate to call it a bunch of cliches because that sounds unnecessarily un-flattering, plus the characters are realistic - there are thousands of people just like Leila, Nalan, Sinan, Jameela, Zeinab, or Humeyra in the world - and calling something so close to real world experiences cliches doesn't sound right either. But I feel like I've read too many testimonies from people exactly like the ones in 10 minutes 38 seconds - to the point, perhaps, of becoming somewhat numbed to them, especially when a book has so little actual action-based plot that these character studies have to carry it from beginning to end.
Lastly, I'm not sure if this was an attempt to match the language to the times (the events of the book take place largely before the 1990s), but the terms transvestite and transsexual being used interchangeably definitely kept throwing me off.
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Miscarriage and Self harm
There are a lot of heavy themes in this book, especially around sex work (including trafficking).anja_karenjina's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Sexism, Xenophobia, Death, Transphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
irenemarie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Death, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Transphobia
Minor: Police brutality, Trafficking, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Child death, Suicide, Ableism, and Rape
ollie_again's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Ableism, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, and Torture
ruthmoog's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Transphobia, Mass/school shootings, Incest, Confinement, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Genocide, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Adult/minor relationship
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
aided by an interesting, intriguing structure, the novel's first part reads like snapshots from the main character leila's life. while initially very slow going - the pace making me actually put down the book for 2 weeks - things start to pick up once we get out of leila's hometown, leila thrusted into the wider world - for better and for worse - while also gradually learning abt the five friends she so treasures.
i rly enjoy reading abt istanbul thru the POVs of characters marginalized by society, seeing the city thru a different, less sanitized perspective, yet a sense of love for the city, interestingly, still pervades. shafak spotlights those rarely seen or heard in the mainstream, let alone humanely, in this novel, be it those who are turkish and arent, esp the more recent and pressing refugees. the book's period of upheaval also serves as a revealing, rollicking - though at times painful - historical archive.
what i love most abt this book is perhaps the relationship between leila and her 5 friends, both individually and as a group. theirs is a bond deeper and closer than those of their respectively wretched families, and it's surprisingly touching. in a society that shuns them and wrongs go unpunished, they band tgt to survive, find joy and stand up for themselves.
this is an enjoyable book thats as much abt the characters as the city of istanbul they live in, in all its glory and misery. though i personally think there's too much exposition, some parts could be trimmed, and the initial pace too slow, i dont merely feel but also learn a lot from this book, and thats always a good reading experience in my book.
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Death, Transphobia, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Trafficking, Violence, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Miscarriage and Infidelity
alomie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this story very moving and hard to read in parts a tragic story and her abrupt death. There is hope mixed in there with the 5 friends and their stories but also some great sadness.
A comment on Sex work in Istanbul, the struggles of the trans community and the harsh realities of a repressed nation and its obvious disdain for women.
Graphic: Abortion, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Addiction, Child death, Homophobia, Grief, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Self harm
manasvini's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
The concept, the narrative, the cast of diverse characters and stories, the vivid and immersive descriptions of Istanbul
What I disliked:
The sheer amount of trauma, which almost started feeling like sensationalism, especially when accompanied with little to no reflection on it. (I wish I had read the trigger warnings before hand.) How much the first part slogged in comparison to the second and third parts.
It was a good read but does not make me motivated to read other works by Shafak.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Grief, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Transphobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Car accident, Cursing, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infertility, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Torture
samsearle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Transphobia, and Sexism