Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

20 reviews

themis_biblos's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Not my thing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder

ciebeanie's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

for perspective i did this collection for my a-level coursework and to this day i still go back and reread it. despite the pain it caused me i routinely return!

angela carter is a master of prose. she revels in the dark, the gory and the sexual and boy does she do it well - these short stories will leave you thinking about them for weeks. deeply entwined with the second wave of feminism and themes of female identity and sexuality, carter’s work is unrestrained and shines brilliantly because of it, even in all of its complexity. the deeper you start to dive into these stories, the more you find, though they’re certainly enjoyable as surface-level fairy tales, too!

my personal favourites are ‘the bloody chamber’, ‘the erl king’ and ‘the tiger’s bride’. if you’re a fan of british band wolf alice, this collection is where they got their name from.

i would very heavily recommend carter’s essay ‘the sadeian woman’ as an accompaniment to this collection, as it explores more explicitly her thoughts on pornography and women’s sexuality. speaking of which - this book does not shy away from darker topics, though it does handle them with grace, complexity and thought (and the occasional bite of humour to balance the equation). carter was master of her craft and this is arguably her magnum opus - enjoy!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty

bookishlucy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-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 book was a trip lol
Angela Carter has a unique mind for these kinds of stories and her remarkable take on classic stories that have been told repeatedly was very entertaining to read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Blood

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content and Torture

peasandpancakes's review against another edition

Did not finish - Not my thing. I did not enjoy the writing style. All the sentences were so long that I couldn’t remember the beginning of it when I got to the end. Couldn’t make myself read further than “the Tiger’s Bride”.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Torture and Murder

rowanelisa's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

rhi_'s review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

0.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

amu_m3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Ableism, Slavery, and Torture

djpizza's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Colonisation

suzylit's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

A landmark in the feminine literary tradition. Four decades later those fairytale retellings still ring true.
I was just a little frustrated by some of the stories I would have wanted more of.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

louisehall's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder