Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot

43 reviews

samtheowl96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Alcohol

eldweena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

I don't know how to review this. It was a hard read. The book is pain, so check for trigger warnings and brace yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

jammmbi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Deep, reflective, and tough to process but something I’m glad I read. I went on an emotional and reflective journey reading this memoir, and it had me taking a moment to reflect on my own relationships with trauma, with grief, with shame, with pain, and brutal honesty with myself. 

Quotes that stick with me:

“If transgressions were all bad, people wouldn’t do them. Do you consider me a transgression?”

“Feel culpable in my insanity because you are partly to blame.” 

“At thirty-two, I was a child, a victim of something.” 

“The right love is an adhesive.” 

“I am not too ugly for this world.” 

“This story is yours, culprit of my pain. Which one of us is asking for mercy?” 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

theboricuabookworm's review against another edition

Gripping and raw. The lyrical way Mailhot writes about pain and trauma and grief will leave you gasping.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

leweylibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

I'm struggling to rate this one because I don't feel like I have adequate words to do so?

I struggled with the format--or lack thereof really--and the audiobook narrator. I actually got like 35% through and then had to restart it waaaaay slower because I was finding myself missing things and not paying attention. I definitely think I would've done better with it reading it physically, there are just way too many poetic moments and literary devices at work for me to track on audio. I'm grateful for the Q&A style afterwords because it did clear up some of what the author was attempting to do. Like I now have a greater appreciation for the work she put into making her writing seem simple and punchy when while reading it, it mostly just felt jarring and hard to follow or stay invested in. 

The topics covered are obviously intense. Big trigger warnings for a lot. Covering them is absolutely vital to her story, though, and her journey towards reconciliation and healing.

Overall, I can tell it was brilliant, it just wasn't totally for me in this format. And that's okay and doesn't detract from the skill it took to write it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

carnimdream's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Chronic illness and Abortion

akgrantmatz's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

3.25

I don't know if this style is for me. The prose is incredible, and the story, anger, and honesty are important. But the brutal honesty and lack of a sense of Terese as a person almost reads to me as dehumanizing. The substance of the book is difficult, but the voice is uncomfortable.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Abortion, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Colonisation

fink1129's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

mayaism_01's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

5.0

This was gut punch, after gut punch, after gut punch. I feel like I’ve been shattered into a million little pieces and I will never recover from this. I don’t think I’ve ever been possessed with so much anger while reading a book. I loved this so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Eating disorder, Vomit, and Abortion