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madde's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I am very conflicted on how to rate this. I did enjoy the writing and storytelling overall. But the way Kurniawan writes women was not enjoyable to read. I wanted to like the female characters, but they were given very little personality.
There were also so many scenes of rape and sexual violence that felt gratuitous. Almost every male character falls in love with a female who is still a child.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Murder and War
bethanylouise17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
emilyberrios's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In simplest terms: If toxic masculinity were a book, it would be this one. If you thought this book was about the agency of strong beautiful women... you are very wrong (as I was).
A more complex perspective: This book could also be interpreted as a metaphor. The female characters have no agency, no control over their futures or their bodies. Their beauty is to be brutalized and fetishized. These beautiful women could be a metaphor for Indonesia as a country and the various powers or men who colonized it, waged war against it, loved it, hated it, abused it. While the story telling is not linear (and sometimes very difficult to follow) generally speaking, this is a historical fiction in a magical realism setting which follows generations of women who originate from a girl taken into servitude as the concubine of a Dutch man, a plantation owner. This initiates the overarching plot of revenge, but all the subplots as well. The colonial identity of a country is generally mired in trauma and abuse, and this book reflects that.
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
raqui's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment, and War
neridah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
There is interesting historical and cultural information in here
But it's not worth it
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kalamala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Murder, and War
asainspace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Murder
mrtvavrana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
caitmckinney's review against another edition
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence
thursdd4y's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation