Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

6 reviews

eringeraghty's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Everyone should read this book. It reflects feminism of the mid 20th century to now. Exciting read from beginning to end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kalisaur's review

dark emotional

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I found the modern character, Alice, frankly annoying. First she is way too capitalist brainwashed whining that she doesn't know who she is if she isn't working 50 hours a week in her toxic work environment, then she repeated makes idiot plot choices to create conflict in her relationship and then at the end

everything is okay because she gets pregnant, which is was actively avoiding for a good portion of the book

. The 50s character, Nellie, is much more likeable imho because all her problems are concrete. I almost wonder if the author had the plot for her story line, found it to be much too short and then crafted the modern tale around it but didn't really have the same good ideas or passion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, and Blood

Minor: Mental illness, Sexism, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion, and Alcohol

seforaflorian's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Dementia, and Death of parent

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

This definitely kept me engaged, but sometimes the foreshadowing was a bit heavy-handed.  I don't love something being hinted at three times before actually coming out with it. But I was surprised by some events as the plot moved forward.

Although the moral seems to be that life with men is at worst, abusive, and at best, vastly disappointing. Pretty bleak look at the lives of women barely improving in the last 60 years

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, and Murder

leroyreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kimberlymarrinan's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

There might be spoilers in here, I just dislike this book a lot. 

Alice, the 2018 main character, has just moved into her new home with her husband because he wants to settle down and start a family. She tells him that she is okay with that and would also like to start a family, even though in her heart that is not true and she would rather go back to the workforce. She also lies to her husband about multiple things other than the baby. She got fired from her job but tells her husband that she quit, and she also goes and gets an IUD without telling her husband, and when he finds out all he wishes is that she would have told him. She starts to smoke, a hobby that is bad for all, and hides it from her husband because he cares about her and would tell her to stop (because he thinks she wants to have a child with him and she doesn't tell him otherwise). This man wants a wife that talks to him and are not forcing her into anything. Nelly, the 1950's woman, has a physically, sexually, and overall abusive husband. He forces her to have a child, just because they "have to" have one. He rapes her and beats her. She performs abortions on herself because she does not want to have this man's child. I understand that. Brown attempts to draw a parallel between the two female main characters' husbands. Which just is not there. The two men are completely different, even though they would both like the start a family. Nate, Alice's husband, is not raping her to have a child and believes her to be enthusiastic about it. Brown attempted to write a feminist piece of literature, in which the similarities between the 1950s and today are apparent, and that men have always and will always trap women into a marriage with children, and only want the same thing. However, that is not true in the slightest and Nate is not even close to manipulative towards Alice. I hate Alice, I love Nelly and this book is atrocious. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol