Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

30 reviews

theglossreview's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

Atrocious. “The Shadow of the Wind“ is nothing but a series of horrible events. The plot seems like a competition between the characters: “Whose misfortune is the worst?”

There is barely a content warning to be found that does not apply to this book. The story is full of graphic portrayals of all kinds of violence and abuse. None of the characters are likeable. In the case of “The Shadow of the Wind“, this is a blessing, since everything that happens to the characters is bad. 

The sexism and misogyny is blatant throughout the book. It would have been one thing to portray these as part of the era in  which the book is set, but “The Shadow of the Wind” contains multiple characters whose only role is to enact and spew sexist, misogynist poison. This is taken so far that several characters introduce themselves through bigoted statements, as if this philosophy was the most important and first thing you need to know about them. This book does not pass the Bechdel test. The book is barely worthy of the phrase “portrayal of women”, since there are only portrayals of objects of desire, self-sacrificial lovers and devout mothers. 

Before you read this book, please take a look at the content warnings to see how vile it is. I’m shocked and disappointed to see that the average rating is above 4 stars. The content of the book deserves zero stars, however, the well-constructed mystery and beautiful writing elevate it to 2 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, War, and Classism

gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Abortion

jackbifrost's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

vb_marie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Superbement bien écrit. Les premiers chapitres sont tellement beaux que je les ai lus par petits bouts, pour les savourer pleinement.

Les éléments gothiques sont parfois trop présents à mon goût. De plus, certaines scènes m'ont fait tellement peur que j'en ai fait des cauchemars (d'où les 4,5 étoiles et non 5).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

kimbo8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and War

liyaeshetu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

ari5scythe's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

br3adstick's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? N/A

5.0

shadow of the wind is a beautifully written story with quotes that resonate, and a plot that keeps you turning page after page.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Incest

Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, and War

bxnnny's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

this book was such a pleasant surprise. i wasn't really thinking i would like it all that much as i'm not really one for period pieces and i was worried it would drag. it was a little on the slow and steady side, but i was so enthralled in the story of julían and daniel that i honestly had a hard time putting it down. the characters were so well-written and believable and i enjoyed seeing the mystery of julían carax interspersed with daniel's own parallel story. i felt so attached to so many of these characters. this story really tugged at my heart and it'll be one that will stick with me for a long, long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual harassment

Minor: Murder and War

corrin_takara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

At times was a struggle to read partly because of the slow pace as well as a long list of possible triggering topics which lead to hard to read passages. Picked up towards the end and grabbed my attention with a satisfying twist 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, and Fire/Fire injury