Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

111 reviews

amgarrido's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

skybluespines's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

3.75

I really enjoyed this book, but it is slow. I felt like I was in it for the long haul. There's quite a bit of violence (with intention). To some extent, I may just not have been in the right head space for this book at this time. (I've been reading a lot of Latino and magical realism books lately, and I think I just need to shift into a different genre for a bit and come back to it.)

This follows a family in their day-to-day lives and interactions over the course of 3 generations. It is beautiful and skillfully written, as Allende is a master of her craft. It was just too long for me—although I don't know that her message would have come across as clearly had it been shorter. I think the end especially brought everything together masterfully. I didn't realize it was semi-autobiographical... I want to learn more about Allendes life now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, and Rape

Moderate: War

elliejane002's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Genocide, Pregnancy, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Abortion, Colonisation, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Police brutality, War, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Sexual content

mclaravlm's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Rape, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse

nimeneth's review against another edition

Probably a minority here, but I just didn't like it.

The book is a tale of misery and bizarre characters, and that would be fine if the writing was engaging. Unfortunately it's not - it's a lot of summary, very minimal dialogue, and the changes in the characters are superficial and revert relatively quickly. I wound up skimming the last 40 pages I "read" because it just wasn't engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

melindacraig87's review against another edition

Sad and heavy. It's very emotional, with a ton to process. Definitely well written, but not the type of escapism I seek when reading. I do think the story shows hard truths and creates provocative thoughts on class, politics, and historical patterns. All of those issues should be thought about, and this book does that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Physical abuse

felkyo_grey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, War, Torture, Rape, and Child abuse

angelaf's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-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

3.0

The House of the Spirits was an experience. I am glad I read it, but it was a lot. I loved the magical realism, but more telling than showing and the lack of dialogue made it drag. However, it did pique my interest in reading more South American authors and learning more about South American history. Read if you enjoy: magical realism, multi-generational sagas, women in translation

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Animal cruelty

emily_madcharo's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Torture, Rape, and Sexual assault

lorenag5's review

adventurous challenging inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Sexual violence, Abortion, Blood, Car accident, Slavery, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, War, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Violence, Animal death, Colonisation, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Police brutality