Reviews tagging 'Incest'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

34 reviews

marigoldgem's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

enchanteddroppings's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism

dommymartinez's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

lottiegasp's review

dark reflective sad slow-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

3.25

This novel follows 4 generations of the Del Valle and Trueba family, led by compassionate matriarch Clara the clairvoyant and brutal conservative patriarch Esteban. It explores the politics of the unspecified Latin American country in which it is set, including conservative rule, a blip of Socialism, followed by a military coup. I thought it was overall well-written but not in a way where I was taken in by the aesthetics of the writing. It was quite bleak in how it portrayed both conservative and Socialist governance, as well as the horrible behaviours of Trueba, which he could completely get away with as the patriarch. There was a feminist message throughout of showing the women as strong, compassionate characters, but I disliked how much they forgave Trueba - I guess this reflects reality that you still might love your family members who do shitty things, but I found that the effect of this was that it watered down the messages of what is right and wrong. I didn't totally engage with the characters, and for quite a lot of the book I didn't find the plot particularly engaging because it was so focussed on the minute details of the household and each member of the family. I don't really feel compelled to read more of Allende's works after finishing this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Rape

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Violence, Police brutality, and War

laedyred's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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

3.0

I cannot figure out if I like this book or not. On one hand, I admire the attempt to show the strongest side of women and fully explain how we have to be better than men in society. Every male character in this book is disgusting, often making me want to put the book down for good. The nastiest things about men are told with no detail skirted around. The women in the story are complex enough to show their weaknesses to men while still being strong, but I couldn't help but be disappointed in them for allowing these men in their lives that act like living trash. Too much of the story is spent in this weird arc of "redemption" of the grandfather, who is a serial rapist, misogynist, and horrible human being. It made me sick to read about his acts and then somehow be expected to...forgive him? Like him? Just because he becomes "oh woe is me, my country fell apart". Guess what, you're part of the reason, you made people's lives awful. I don't know, maybe my rating will change after I ruminate on the book. But for now, I'm conflicted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

mightyoscura's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

ednareads's review against another edition

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Incest and Torture

Minor: Homophobia

anahisa's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.75

FUCK ESTEBAN TRUEBA, BABY IM A HATER TO MY BONESSSSSSSSSS

now, I experienced such a disconnect with this book largely in part because of its characters. they were flawed and real, true! also true is that I did not care for a single one of them!! for a family drama spanning multiple generations, very few of the emotional beats landed for me (🤨😐😔) sadly.

in a shocking turn of events, I was drawn more towards the politics + history that informed the background of this saga. the novel’s attention to women’s rights, unionization, revolution, and the west’s presence in foreign governments were its saving grace for me. 

and one thing this book tackles brilliantly is the violence of men + power. so so so many terrible ways in which these individuals + institutions possess, demean, and violate others. while earlier I mentioned that many of the story’s emotional beats were a miss for me, it never failed to make me absolutely livid! the anger I felt when reading some of these scenes! every man in my line of sight should be afraid! rage enough to burn the world I think!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Rape

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Car accident, War, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Xenophobia, and Abortion

smuds2's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

So close to a 5, there were just some gratuitous scenes that I felt didn’t add to the characters portrayed in them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

notallbooks_mp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism