Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

Meine geniale Freundin by Elena Ferrante

32 reviews

tourmalinequeen's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I read this for my book club. I did not expect to enjoy it. but here we are with a four star rating and partway through the sequel. It begins very slowly. The entire plot is the setting and characters, which is a departure from books I'd usually gravitate towards. 

The setting is vividly drawn, post-WW2 Naples, in an area full of poverty. The narrator is first-person pov and the other main character is the titular "brilliant friend" who is the sort of friend who is only a friend when it suits. And the characters are flawed; they argue, are prideful and petty and childish (they are children for most of the book to be fair), and utterly compelling. If one has something the other doesn't there is both support and jealousy, which is so human and real to me.

The pace is glacial, and it took me a good quarter-to-third of the book to get into it, but once I was hooked I was hooked. It got to a point where I would start the audiobook just to ensure I got through the slog, but after so many chapters I realised I was looking forward to finding out what happened next. It sneaked up on me, and I am so glad it did.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

bibamaya's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Violence, and Toxic friendship

eve81's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism

joreadsmore's review against another edition

4.25

Painful read. Watching the main character constantly throw herself at people who treated her like shit made it very difficult to continue at times. But the writing was stunning and the ending definitely makes me want to continue the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Toxic friendship

minella's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

marilululu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity

Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexism

mondovertigo's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Violence

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

miller8d's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.25

This book is brilliant in a way that makes me say “This is the story of a real life,” not “omg I love this book.” Like, I don’t really feel like I read a fictional story. (I actually have no clue if it’s autobiographical or not but I won’t google it because I don’t want to spoil it). Perhaps for that reason, this book took me an incredible long time to read. Like, months on end of picking it up and loving it, but being unable to pick it up again because it was so difficult to read. I don’t even think it was actually difficult literature for me, but instead so emotionally dense and detail-heavy that I couldn’t pay anything but 100% attention while reading, otherwise I’d have to go back dozens of pages to figure out why I was confused. Also,

this is perhaps the only book or story I’ve ever known which accurately depicts how tumultuous and confusing and painful it can be to survive childhood and grow up. I absolutely loved her depiction of how the child’s mind can equally spin fantasy and horrific terror on the same coin— not simple boogieman stuff, but much scarier, finding awful and disturbing fears in/around the mundane figures of your social world and daily life, even when there’s nothing truly wrong there.

Beautiful book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

serena_hien's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Death