Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi

11 reviews

icarusandthesun's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

'you criminal. you deserve to die.'
- 'everybody has to die. i prefer to die from a crime i have committed rather than to die for one of the crimes which you have committed.'

a tale filled with great horrors, pain and truth.
this book was very special, something i've never read before, and wise in an unconventional type of way.
i liked the story in its simple complexity, but the pacing threw me off quite frequently. the storyline and structure were sort of jumpy and the lifeless ease with which the events were described took away most of the impact.

an important story, but the writing style was not for me.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Police brutality

Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Abortion

purplehulk713's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Beautiful and terrible. Truthful. Firdaus is an indomitable woman, pulling away all of the veils placed over her eyes by the men in her society. El Saadawi wonderfully captures the hypocritical horrors of misogyny and male superiority through the eyes of a prostitute who you will learn is not at all disgraceful, but clever, wise, and honorable enough to realize that all the men in her life, all men who claim to protect women and describe each other as devout and heroic are the most sinful of liars. Firdaus spits upon all of these men, and finally conquers her own fear of repercussion by literally hitting it in the face. She realized the price of herself could never be paid by even the wealthiest man in the world. Read this book and remember that truth is both simple and savage, and that only the brave can acknowledge it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death

noe_mireille's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

KAM takes on a whole new meaning after reading this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Incest, and Domestic abuse

pilesandpiles's review

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Rape

theanxiousbookworm's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Rape

adiereadstoo's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

claudes's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Abortion

libbygranger's review

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

Ooft, this book was intense. Even with its 128-page-count, Woman at Point Zero took me a long time to get through because it was such an emotional read. Based on a true story, this devastating tale of one woman’s fight against the oppressions of the patriarchy is as harrowing as it is lyrical. Saadawi’s prose is gentle and pensive, even when describing the acts of violence inflicted upon our main character, Firadaus.  

More of a nonfiction vignette than a novella, Woman at Point Zero is an important modern classic in Egyptian literature that explores maintaining dignity and strength in the face of  oppression. But please check out the content warnings before you go into it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Death

Minor: Abortion and Child abuse

zgriptsuroica's review

dark reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Violence

amymar17's review

dark reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence