Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

8 reviews

sorbeth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

The first part of the book is interesting, though ridiculously dense with purple prose.
The last quarter to third is not good.  It becomes much more a deus ex machina and rather incoherent.  Miranda drops out of the story, the focus changes from Nell to princess Nell, Carl, and Hackworth.

There is casual involvement of rape and a whole lot of

not particularly consensual orgy with the drummers

, some ethnic topics that smell racist and wild generalities.  And Carl doesn’t seem to acknowledge that he

introduced Miranda to people that apparently lure her into something violently fatally hideous, mass orgy that is apparently going on for years, and at some point (and is near the end) that results in the woman burning to death and being dissolved in a bucket and drunk.

  And the character who witnessed the first instance of this in the story is neither horrified nor  acknowledged his own involvement.  

First part of the story was good, goes to garbage at the introduction of the drummers.  And something really ugly nationalistic and bigoted in the socio-political tone .

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Cannibalism

mkdila's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

such a dense, long read, but so rewarding when you finally break through the slower parts. amazing character driven book that spans years of the characters lives. takes you on a ride of nanotech and family and geopolitical topics. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Torture

Minor: Sexual assault

kingcrookback's review against another edition

Just could not engage. For something of a criticism of Orientalism, it sure does fall into the very same trap sometimes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, and Death of parent

casim's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

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

5.0

A masterfully crafted and thoughtful read, combining fairy-tale wonder with counterculture nanopunk

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Cultural appropriation

soulofaqua's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Minor: Excrement

zone_a3's review against another edition

challenging informative mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, and Kidnapping

carolined314's review against another edition

3.0

This did not hold up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

janel's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I really disliked this book. It's social Darwinism dressed up in nanotechnology.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, and Rape