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kathi_kathi's review
I had no Idea that the Book will deal with rape that fast and easy. I dont want to read that kind of content, so I stoped reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence
annaavian's review
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? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
lcdolese's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
If I had to describe this book in two words, I'd say: Trigger Warning
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racial slurs
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
2.5
Post Office by Charles Bukowski 📬
🌟🌟
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I read this for a book club that convened on Sunday - it’s not a book I would have chosen to read otherwise, and to be honest, I don’t think I would have missed out on much if I hadn’t read it 🤷🏻♀️
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✉️ The plot: Henry Chinaski is a postal worker in one of the largest cities in the United States. Across various roles, the exploitative and dreary nature of the job grinds Chinaski ever further into a cycle of depression and alcoholism, his only releases being in his (awful) relationships with women and in gambling.
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The thing I enjoyed most about it was how easy it was to read, and how clearly it paints the dehumanisation of workers under capitalism. The thing I enjoyed the least was the treatment of women in the novel, which ranges from passive contempt and objectification to explicit sexual violence. Chinaski does not ascribe interiority to the women in his life, with the result not just that the women whirl through the novel notable mainly for their sexuality and shrill volatility, but that Chinaski himself becomes noticeably less human. Dismissing their fear and anguish requires him to bypass many of his own emotions, and you glimpse his pain mostly in the shadows of his actions - his passive responses to their departures, his arrangement of the funeral of an ex-girlfriend, resisting his suicidal urges by thinking of his newborn daughter.
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📦 Read it if you have to? I guess? I’m not sure who I’d recommend this book to outside of an academic/ discussion setting - if you’re interested in the US post office, just listen to the Going Postal episode of You’re Wrong About, and if you want to read a funnier novel about absurd working conditions (albeit in the US army rather than the government, as the postal service was at this time) read Catch-22.
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🚫 Avoid it if you are avoiding depictions of rape, sexual violence, alcoholism, exploitation, and suicidal thoughts.
🌟🌟
-
I read this for a book club that convened on Sunday - it’s not a book I would have chosen to read otherwise, and to be honest, I don’t think I would have missed out on much if I hadn’t read it 🤷🏻♀️
-
✉️ The plot: Henry Chinaski is a postal worker in one of the largest cities in the United States. Across various roles, the exploitative and dreary nature of the job grinds Chinaski ever further into a cycle of depression and alcoholism, his only releases being in his (awful) relationships with women and in gambling.
-
The thing I enjoyed most about it was how easy it was to read, and how clearly it paints the dehumanisation of workers under capitalism. The thing I enjoyed the least was the treatment of women in the novel, which ranges from passive contempt and objectification to explicit sexual violence. Chinaski does not ascribe interiority to the women in his life, with the result not just that the women whirl through the novel notable mainly for their sexuality and shrill volatility, but that Chinaski himself becomes noticeably less human. Dismissing their fear and anguish requires him to bypass many of his own emotions, and you glimpse his pain mostly in the shadows of his actions - his passive responses to their departures, his arrangement of the funeral of an ex-girlfriend, resisting his suicidal urges by thinking of his newborn daughter.
-
📦 Read it if you have to? I guess? I’m not sure who I’d recommend this book to outside of an academic/ discussion setting - if you’re interested in the US post office, just listen to the Going Postal episode of You’re Wrong About, and if you want to read a funnier novel about absurd working conditions (albeit in the US army rather than the government, as the postal service was at this time) read Catch-22.
-
🚫 Avoid it if you are avoiding depictions of rape, sexual violence, alcoholism, exploitation, and suicidal thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence