Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

25 reviews

tessduets's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much. Lots of shocking plot twists and a completely unique story. While it was exciting and mysterious it was also a rather cozy read. It is beautifully written and is now one of my favorite books. I had the added fun of getting to read it while visiting Barcelona, definitely recommend that if you get the chance.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kato_dg's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

parkyparkpark's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

annahelle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

i really really enjoyed this book! although it was a little cheesy at times and i wouldn’t compare it to gabriel garcia marquez (as advertised on the book cover), i still had FUN! there’s definitely something to be said about the treatment of female characters. like i’m pretty sure it wouldn’t pass the bechdel test lol. a bit manic pixie dream girl vibes. and i dont just mean fernin’s silly sexual, womanzing tirades , bc i took that to be satire. idk i’m dr*nk on vacation and i had FUN okay. and really loved the main characters even tho i wished the women weren’t just love objects ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt

voelve's review against another edition

mysterious 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Grief

Minor: Death of parent

jeanniea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Great storytelling. Similar storytelling style to that of erin morgenstern. Story picks up about halfway thru. I enjoyed the ending of the book! There were a few unexpected surprises in the plot.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

half_bloodreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

Bilingual Review/Crítica Bilingue (🇬🇧 & 🇵🇹) 

🇬🇧 Written in the 1st person, past tense. Set in the 1st half of the 20th century, Franco's regime

Intrigue, mystery, books, Barcelona. What's there not to like? Or so I thought, but I ended with mixed feelings. 

It's historical fiction. There are scenes that reflect the chauvinist times, things that happen to women that are part of plot points. 
Except, there's language & violence used against women that doesn't add anything to the story, so it seems the author is taking pleasure out of tormenting women. 

A male character is physically & s exually assaulted, yet it's told in a ridiculous tone. I was intrigued, which is why I kept reading, but I can't ignore these recurring themes. 

Mc instantly falls in love with the women he's attracted to, no importance given to knowing them. These are all enigmatic, inscrutable, meaning they are as deep as a leaf. 
Otherwise, they are a reason for ridicule. 

Beware of Stereotype: blind person asks to touch strangers' faces 🙄

Mystery is almost entirely revealed in a letter conveniently left to the mc. 

Writing plays with the frontier between beautiful & pretentious to the point of eyeroll.

🇵🇹 Escrito na 1ª pessoa, passado. Situado na 1ª metade do Séc. XX, Espanha Franquista

Intriga, mistério, livros, Barcelona. O que há para não gostar? Pensei eu, mas no fim fiquei dividida. 

É ficção histórica. Há cenas que refletem os tempos machistas, coisas que acontecem a mulheres que fazem parte da trama. 
Excepto que há linguagem e violência usadas contra mulheres que não acrescentam nada à história, parece que o autor tirou prazer de atormentar mulheres. 

Um personagem masculino é agredido física & sexualmente, sendo tal contado em tom jocoso. Estava intrigada, por isso persisti, mas não posso simplesmente ignorar estes tópicos recorrentes. 

Cuidado com Estereótipo: pessoa cega pede para tocar na cara de estranhos 🙄

Protagonista apaixona-se instantaneamente pelas mulheres que lhe são atraentes, e pouca importa conhecê-las. Essas são todas enigmáticas, imperscrutáveis, ou seja têm a profundidade de uma folha. 
De contrário, são motivo de ridículo. 

Mistério é revelado quase todo numa carta convenientemente deixada ao protagonista.

A escrita brinca com a fronteira entre bela e pretensiosa a ponto de rolar os olhos. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

florafauna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Blood, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

Minor: Chronic illness, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, and War

lyricallit's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

Sigh. I was 1/3 of the way through and was befuddled as to where it was going. I really enjoyed the touches of magical realism but felt that style was abandoned in favor of gothic melodrama. I liked the way certain characters mirrored others in the past and the trope of authorship/stories, as the novel at times became a nesting doll of stories-within-stories.

Ultimately though I got really tired with the portrayal of women. All the women are secondary/tertiary characters who are usually victims who serve to further the mens' plots or to reveal a man's vile abuse. Especially since

MUCH of this heartbreak would have been avoided if Sophie had just  TOLD Julian who his biological father was! So... Cool. Let's just lay the blame there

. I am truly unclear as to the relevance of Clara Barceló to the overall story. She is an objectified fantasy to a teen boy with a savior complex (to "save" or care for a "blind girl"), who ultimately

becomes a bitter hag who can't even be around other women, presumably out of petty jealousy. Truly the book could have left her out completely and still attained its goals, so I am frustrated by what may just be an attempt to get back at a woman who scorned the author? And as for Bea, she is credited by Carax with saving his life and Daniel's but again, not sure how other than being the reason everyone was at the castle that night -- again, merely a convenient plot point.

 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment

katieb_883's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury