Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Suon villi laulu by Delia Owens

213 reviews

keilyns's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Rape

justmys's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.75

A good read. I felt the pacing sort of slump in the middle and then race through the trial a little but overall it was a decent book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Classism, Grief, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Blood, Car accident, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Cancer, Hate crime, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Bullying, Murder, Child death, Stalking, Misogyny, and Racism

wogslandwriter's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I did not know what to expect from this book when I started it. Honestly, it was beyond my expectations from the very beginning and it just kept going. I did not know how it was going to end.

I was pretty sure Kaya wouldn't go to jail, but I honestly did think that she had killed Tate. It made the most logical sense, but it just didn't seem like she had done it. It was definitely a surprise to have that twist at the end, but it all makes sense and it brings a sense of mildly juvenile wonder which I think really matches Kaya's personality because she was neglected for so long and stayed agoraphobic for her who life.

I laughed and cried reading this and it may be one of the best literary novels I have ever read. I am definitely interested in more books like this, with a focus on ecology and personhood. It is extremely good and I highly recommend this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Racism, Murder, Death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual content, Cursing, and Misogyny

Minor: Car accident, War, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Child death, Infertility, and Sexism

Kaya, the main character of this book is subject to extreme childhood neglect from and absent mother and alcoholic father. The book focuses on her abandonment and loneliness as it follows her story.

As a teenager she has a relationship with an older boy who is technically an adult for the later part of their relationship. As a young adult, she has a relationship with an emotionally manipulative young man where he is cheating on her and lying to her regularly. After breaking it off with him, he later chases her down and attempts to rape her. She defends herself and is able to escape him.

There are also graphic flashbacks to her father beating her mother and siblings and discussion of how her town is segregated with black people living in "colored town" separate from the white people. There is mild discussion of the racism of the era, but mostly it is simply treated as matter of fact as it is viewed through the eyes of a child.

mack_urdaddy's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

The author’s imagery is rn captivating and unlike any other that I’ve read. It truly is like she is leading you through every brush stroke she uses to paint the scene of the marsh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Alcoholism, Cursing, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Violence, Racism, Death of parent, and Racial slurs

love_chloe_c's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

I would've killed Chase too </3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, and Sexual violence

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Murder, and Grief

aelin_morgenstern's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Racism

Moderate: Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, and Confinement

Minor: War, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Sexual content

The book is set in the 1950s and 1960s. Therefore, the society is segregated and racial slurs are mentioned.

silly_billy's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was really good, A young girl that lives in the marsh alone grows up while the story continues and challenges love and other problems. The mystery at the end was also really enjoyable to read and find out what happens too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism and Racial slurs

sparklyodin's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I feel like the ending is forced in order to have a "twist" and was not believable. If I could chop off the last 4 pages it would be the oerfect book.

They spend the whole book telling you not to assume the undereducated woman is a murderer, defending her character, and then in the last 10 seconds they say "just kidding she is totally the filthy character you all thought. Judge poor people forever, they nasty."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, Death, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Classism, Child abuse, and Confinement

catcookie24's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This book was amazing. It took a few chapters for me to get fully into it, but it was worth it. Delia Owens is descriptive and has a beautiful way of telling her stories and handing you the setting. She places the words so gently in the palms of your hands, and makes you somehow love each other and every one character, one way or the other, at one point or another.

Kya Clark was a beautifully written character. I loved going through life with her, discovering things with her, finding love with her. The way things connect together, the way the marsh and the swamp and the townspeople all weave together to make this story was captivating, and I loved it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

emilypolcyn's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I had a lot of problems with the dialect in this book — the inaccuracies, the classism (only “bad” or “stupid” characters have a dialect, and once someone becomes educated or good they lose the accent), the racism (white lady failing pretty hard at writing AAVE in the 60s). Plus the prose would occasionally have dialect (like saying “likker” instead of “liquor”) but inconsistently and seemingly for no real reason? Not sure what that choice was but it always threw me out of it.

Very flowery writing but also was kind of giving thesaurus.com… and lots of small details about nature and food that interrupt the action without contributing anything thematically (besides that nature is beautiful and they’re in the south, which, yeah). If she mentioned grits one more time…

Also weak character development + characters who say every thought they’re having out loud (also in well-articulated prose) (unless they’re dumb and poor)

I think this really picked up during the court sequence (which I genuinely was interested in and a bit hooked by) but then slowed down again and got detached at the end. But maybe that’s just because Owens was referring to her own connection to a murder trial (which I only heard about after finishing this book and oh my god…. That lady for sure killed someone)

Rolled my eyes SO hard at the Amanda Hamilton reveal… like omg no way this clunky bad poetry that’s been shoehorned into random scenes the whole book was actually ~her~ the ~whole time~ wow I am so shocked

Also weird sex scenes?? And every single time she gets close to having sex she uses the phrase “circling her nipple”. Literally happened like four times 🥴

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail