Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Mis Últimos 10 Minutos y 38 Segundos en este Extraño Mundo by Elif Shafak

7 reviews

daniellekat's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.75

I loved part one (Mind) and thought this was on its way to 5 stars, but parts 2 (Body) and 3 (Soul) lost me. Shafak is a masterful writer and her descriptive style perfectly suits the novel's time and setting. My main criticism with this is the same for my last Shafak read (The Island of Missing Trees) - too much information is given to the reader. Especially in Part 2, there were too many perspectives and explicit details that I thought would have been more powerful left untold. I loved the found family aspect of this book and the way their grief manifested among them. I wish we were given more time with each of the friends but overall this was another well balanced blend of history and fiction. I highly recommend checking the content warnings on this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Transphobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

bitsofcherry's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

This book was beautifully written, the imagery and metaphors are amazing, and I adored the emphasis on tastes and smells in each memory chapter.
The book turned out to be way darker than I expected (note to read trigger warnings before starting a new book) but it was a very powerful read and left me reflecting on life, death and power dynamics in different cultures throughout the world. I absolutely adored the friendships like sprinkles of light in such a dark setting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Miscarriage

ollie_again's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Drug abuse, Torture, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

bookaholic_kp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

bethnash's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Death and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Self harm, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

leahrosiee's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lis_alouny's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

a poignant book in a lyrical, vivid prose that carries you away to the Bosphorus, without flinching from baring the dark and grit but also light and beauty that is the characters' Istanbul 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Trafficking, Grief, and Gaslighting