Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

38 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.

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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!

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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

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

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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

chefboyavi's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

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

2.75

These are fine. I think I’m a bit jaded as a former English major because I’ve read a lot of stuff like this. I’m also at a point in my life where if I'm gonna read modern fairytales, they better be gay otherwise what’s the point. 

The most interesting thing in reading these stories is that I also happened to be reading Tell Me I’m Worthless by Allison Rumfitt at the same time, which name drops Carter and The Bloody Chamber, so that was a weird coincidence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, and Cannibalism

katie0528's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This is a collection of classic fairy tale retellings, from Beauty and the Beast, to Bluebeard, to Snow White, and Red Riding Hood. The retellings are a blend of classic and modern retellings, taking a darker edge and exploring the sexual undertones of many classic tales.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Sexual content, and Blood

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Confinement

glitterhobbit's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Cannibalism

soniajoy98's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, and Murder

Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Sexual harassment

mericat's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, and Gaslighting

breamfish1138's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

Carter has an amazing writing style that blends reality and dreams better than most authors I've ever read. Sure, the stories can get repetitive but when the descriptions are that vivid I really didn't care at all. Also, the feminist subtext? Yes please. Bear in mind the fairytales are, umm, of the German bedtime story varieties so expect a lot of macabre, weird, gory, horrific stuff. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, Stalking, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing and Sexual assault

It's super gory and messed up and weird. Would not recommend use as actual bedtime stories. And it doesn't TECHNICALLY count as cannibalism but a lot of people do get eaten.

heartofhorrors's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail