Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan

7 reviews

uncreativeoops's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

The format of this novel is really cool (one person per decade who gets 3 chapters and they all live in the same apartment building) but it's also disappointing because you don't get a lot of time with each character. Some I found less interesting and some could have gotten their own book. But I liked the variety in characters and the topics that were adressed. Sometimes the messaging felt a little too heavy-handed though. There is kind of an overarching story, which is a bit at odds with the smaller stories (they are mostly about the historical period but now and then the devil's daughter shows up), but if you accept that and are not looking for a story that is purely grounded in reality but has magical realism (?), it is very fun. Also very atmospheric descriptions of Edinburgh that made me want to visit again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: War

Minor: Domestic abuse

nialiversuch's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

hq_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

I found this book to be pretty average - it was a strange read and is actually really hard to rate. I can see how some people would LOVE this book (English literature buffs), but for me, it was like an amalgamation of short stories lumped together connected by a location, rather than a novel. That's fine, but as a complete work of fiction, I enjoyed some stories more than others, therefore affecting the overall rating. I found my mind wandering at times and many stories felt unresolved so I was left dissatisfied. 

Character narratives I enjoyed - Queen Bee, Agnes, Ivor and Dot. 
Character narratives that were okay - Jessie and Flora
Character narratives I did not enjoy - Levi and William
.......I almost completely forgot about Ivy's story which I think speaks volumes. 

It was fast-paced read despite the unusual writing style. The descriptions of Edinburgh were very atmospheric and I believe the author captured the haunting nature of Edinburgh very accurately (as an Edinburgh native and resident, I can confirm). The book also covers themes around sexuality, self acceptance and misogyny. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content

wrackcity's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness

lexa_oxford's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

This book is a really interesting one where the house is practically a main character itself, and we follow its multiple tenants across a century. I found some of the stories much more engaging than others, and almost wished that a couple of the stories had been cut to expand on the ones that really told an over-arching message which Fagan really wanted to get across. Also she did a lot of telling rather than showing, which I felt was a shame.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Child death and Alcohol

Minor: Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

cosypuck's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Domestic abuse

funktious's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence