Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Push by Sapphire

3 reviews

kvjrist's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Incest, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism

sifairi's review

Extremely Triggering if there is a history of SA or Abuse

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Cursing, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Incest, and Pregnancy

midnightmarauder's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

I usually don't watch movies that are based on books before reading the book. But, I watched Precious years ago, as a child, not knowing that it was based on a book until I got older.

I've read this book before, in 2020, but didn't really read it with the intention of comparing it with the movie. This time around, however, I did just that.

Push goes more in depth about Precious and what she went through than the movie Precious ever did. We hear more about her childhood trauma, her mother's (possible) trauma, and even her classmates'. 

Here are some things I didn't like:

This book can be hard to read (aside from the subject matter) if you're a fluent reader because Precious

Spoiler

is severely illiterate

, so a lot of the paragraphs can be tough to decipher. Context clues and a basic understanding of phonics can help you somewhat make sense of it, though. 

Also, in the book, Ms. Rain is described as a dark-skinned woman with long dreads. In the movie, however, she's portrayed by Paula Patton, a light-skinned mixed woman with loose, wavy hair. I didn't really enjoy how they changed her.

Finally, Precious' neighbor, Miss West, was fully aware of what Precious was going through, yet didn't seem to care enough to call the cops. What kind of mess was that? 

Since I've seen Precious multiple times and know how much it's had an impact on me, I expected the book to be amazing. But, I didn't really vibe with it like I thought I would. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Violence

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Self harm