Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

9 reviews

serendipitysbooks's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? Yes

4.25

 Woman at Point Zero is a novel based on a real meeting between the author and Firdaus, a female murderer who was days away from being executed in Egypt. This book is Firdaus’s story. From a young age her life was blighted by exploitation and violence, sexual, physical and emotional, from men, and sometimes women as well - female genital mutilation, an uncle who permitted some education but also sexually abused her, forced marriage to a much older man, gang rape, prostitution and more. Eventually Firdaus had enough and when a pimp pulled a knife on her she stabbed and killed him. Later she tells a wealthy client what she has done and is arrested. I’ll always remember Firdaus, with her unsentimental, matter-of-fact manner, her power and fierceness, her lack of repentance or self-pity. “But with each of the men I ever knew, I was always overcome by a strong desire to lift my arm high up over my head and bring my hand smashing down on his face.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Rape, and Misogyny

sangavisugumar's review against another edition

medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pedophilia

andreapap15's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring sad medium-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Rape, and Murder

lizzardbeth99's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Abortion, Addiction, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Gore, Grief, Incest, and Kidnapping

bdilley28's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-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? No

4.0

I thought this book was very well written, and the different POVs tied together really well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Sexual content

el219's review

4.5

Disgusting and so essential to read; nawal was such an icon may continue to rest in peace and power

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Child abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abortion and Death of parent

aindrila's review

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Domestic abuse

uselessreader's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad

• 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? It's complicated

3.0

 

Feminism! The protagonist is a woman, who basically is abused all throughout her life by men (physically, sexually and verbally)

Spoiler

(beaten by her father, molested by her uncle, beaten and raped by her husband and then again raped by multiple men, …) , runs away a couple of times and ends up working as a sex worker, during which she again experiences abuse at the hands of men.

All of this turns her into a bitter woman, who hates men and is full of anger at the ways in which they treat women. The book portrays many of the horrible ways in which women have to suffer daily (because of misogyny and the patriarchy and religion) and functions as an outcry against this injustice. 

 „However, every single man I did get to know filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face.” (p.14) 

“All women are victims of deception. Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so low, bind them in marriage and then chastise them with menial service for life, or insults, or blows.” (p.117) 

 “(…) men force women to sell their bodies at a price, and that the lowest paid body is that of a wife.” (p.124) 

 

I have to say though, I didn’t care much for the writing. It is not particularly beautiful or clever and was very (!) repetitive. I know that this was done on purpose, to create a desired effect, but to me it just felt very lazy and clumsy. Maybe it is the translation that isn’t the best, but I wouldn’t know. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Minor: Abortion

pirate's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence