Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Violeta by Isabel Allende

5 reviews

sholtie's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

Your grandma sits you down and tells you about every beef shes ever had and every man she ever slept with

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse

gracescanlon's review against another edition

It's...fine.

That's the trouble, actually. It's fine. I could only read this before bed, because it kept putting me to sleep. That is, in a small way, also a compliment - Allende's prose, its rhythm, is soothing. But the book is also boring boring boring.

I've been trying to read more diverse books. Even so, Allende in general has been on my TBR, as a renowned female South American author. However, leaving the country where the book is set unnamed was frustrating to me. I've learned since abandoning this book that it's set in Chile, but as I read it, the vagueness of the location irked me. I want to know more about other places. Leaving Violeta's setting unspecified was counterproductive to that - it just wasn't a choice I liked or appreciated. I'm quite aware that that's a personal problem, and that Allende's choice was purposeful and valid, but I don't have to like it.

The amount of people in the reviews who were at all surprised as to Camilo's identity is baffling to me. It's so blatantly obvious to me that he's her grandson, or at the very least a grandson-like person in her life. Y'all need to work on reading comprehension.

Violeta seems, to me, aimless - an odd sensation, given it's the story of a woman's life that spanned throughout tumultuous times. But even 35% through the book, Violeta has only been "involved" with contemporary world events tangentially, if at all. 

Also, the older Violeta telling the story has a little personality, but her younger self has very little. Honestly, the side characters were all more interesting than she was, from Torito and the Rivases to her aunts and Miss Taylor. 

So, ultimately, I didn't care, don't care, can't care. I'll be donating or selling this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

chb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This was my book club's choice for March.  I love historical fiction, and this didn't disappoint.  I was also happy to read another Allende book that held my interest.  After reading The Long Petal of the Sea, I wasn't too sure about the author's work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

wylovat's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Medical content, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Lesbophobia