Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Lekcje chemii by Bonnie Garmus

152 reviews

ofi's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

i thought the six-thirty pov episode of the series was the saddest thing i’d ever seen but then i read the book every single line in his pov is much much worse. six-thirty i would give my life for you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

daumari's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

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

4.25

 4.5, but I'm actually going to round down on this one. I liked it, but I'd also say Six-Thirty the dog is maybe the most likeable character (followed by Madeline though I can see how her precociousness could be off-putting).

At times, I almost felt like I was reading satire of the era with all of the blatant sexism Elizabeth faced because it read cartoonishly over-the-top to me, though I do think that's part of fiction, to exaggerate experiences. Also maybe of-the-period but took me out a bit: this is southern California; where are the Latin@s and Asian folks?? (I know, white folks tend to hang out with their own but we do flip through povs of women watching Supper at Six- maybe some of those families were brown, who knows).

But, I do like Elizabeth's abrasiveness and insistence on things being correct and meritocratic (even if societal structure is not). She strikes me as a little neurodivergent and I'm not sure if that's intentional (Bonnie Garmus's goodreads question replies indicate she was aiming more for classical stoicism). I think part of why this book is so popular is because the message of being taken seriously resonates with a lot of women even today. We STILL see thinkpieces about the value of domestic labor (though I think there's a wider recognition that childcare and rearing are fulltime jobs- see Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change). When Elizabeth's spiraling in the newborn haze, Harriet reassures her that nothing is wrong and that also rung true.

Calvin's origins did remind me of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, and I felt like this aspect could've been baked a little bit longer as it abruptly was revealed in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Grief, and Abandonment

mammd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Pedophilia

lil_saddie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? No

4.0

Holding two truths at the same time: I enjoyed many aspects of this book and think the story telling was quite good with so many threads being woven together expertly and always taking Zott as deadly serious as she took herself. I enjoyed how fluidly the story could change POV and narration to give so many perspectives. 
Some spoilers further:
However, I wish I had checked for content warnings before reading because there are considerable themes of SA. I’m struggling with how necessary these multiple scenes and  references were as a plot point since this wasn’t based on a true story. I know it was incredibly common in the workplace without consequence in a way  that we have improved somewhat as a society today. But for a modern audience when 1 in 6 women have faced SA personally, who is the audience this narrative is trying to convince the severity of the situation to? We know the realities, and Zott being mistreated in the workplace without SA as part of the story feels like it should have been impactful enough. Not to mention how glossed over instances of pedophilia was for male characters. I guess in sum I feel those very triggering topics could have been handled better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Death of parent

redheadorganist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Homophobia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, and Abortion

jaylene's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

I have no idea why it took me so long to pick this up. I love Bonnie Garmus' writing style, it's not your typical storytelling as it felt very cinematic with multiple POVs in one "scene." Lessons in Chemistry's characters are easy to fall in love with, especially our brilliant and headstrong main character and, of course, Six Thirty. The growth of her list of characters didn't feel forced or confusing even when meeting most of them in the last 1/3 of the book. Most importantly, topics of sexism and trauma were handled with such care but felt accurate for the time period.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, and Sexism

Minor: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

I would with how many content warnings I added, I would say sexism is the only one that is scattered throughout the entire story. It sounds like it is heavier than it really is.

gracielou2000's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Fatphobia, and Abortion

emimero's review against another edition

inspiring reflective 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

4.5

Wow wow wow ! Finally something different. Bonnie Garmus really created something special here. It's not your typical romance book, it has so much more to it, women's conditions in the society, being different, strength and solidarity,.... It is way better than the show (which is good too by the way) but the details, the characters are so loveable and the plot keeps you going because again, I've never read something like that I truly don't know what's happening next ! Definitely recommend to read this gem ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

ceilisbookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Grief

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

gsmith923's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Pregnancy