Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride

6 reviews

alishaabrahamsreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense

4.0

u need to read the TWs for this story, lots of graphic detailed triggering content 

aside from that, the disordered/irregular writing style was a great way to buffer the intensity from the exploration of graphic abuse, molestation, and assault, as well as a great way to bestow personhood onto the victims of abuse. The gaps in the prose, the smaller and bigger words, the weird capitalization, the lack of quotations, the breakdown of inner thought into a jumble of poetry -- all add to representation of Eily and Stephen's thought-process, "unwellness," and complicated histories (and how they process those backgrounds) 

I hope there is some irony running throughout the book, or hidden lingering thought that Eily and Stephen's relationship is not ideal -- b/c they should NOT be together -- i hope that Eily is just an unreliable narrator and not that we should be rooting for them 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

booitsnathalie's review against another edition

dark slow-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? Yes

3.0

A really challenging read. The prose is astounding and some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read, but the narrative it's in service of is troubling. Broadly about how trauma becomes a constant lens through which you view relationships, and the difficulty of ever coming out of it, mediated through a 20 year age gap relationship. The degree to which the dynamics are addressed was never particularly satisfying to me, and becomes very explicitly romanticized as if the problems were purely historical.

There is so much I love about this book - its tenderness, intimacy, and willingness to engage bluntly with challenging topics - but by the end it becomes too infatuated with its characters to commit to the end that's coming. Will be thinking about it for a long time all the same, please do read the content warnings if you are considering picking this up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent

erinbarton's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

absolutely loved the writing in this but just found the pace to be a tad too slow and the constant ups and downs of the relationship to be a tad too repetitive for this to hit the full 5 stars

happy for stephen getting his happy ending but wanted so much for eily to get some kind of healing too — her childhood abuse gets somewhat glossed over while stephen gets a huge section of the book dedicated to his childhood abuse and his whole arc is about overcoming his past troubles

definitely want to read other work from this author though!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

margymargot's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion

tabitha_isabelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, and Death of parent

rosalind's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

This book is the equivalent of an indie film with an angsty soundtrack and lots of lingering artsy shots, where not a whole lot happens but you learn loads about the two central characters. The central theme is an age-gap romance and the pitfalls that come along with mixing trauma-bonding and sexual relationships. It’s an ode to first love, being in love in London - that heady mix of hormones and burgeoning sexuality and the new incessant rhythm of the city, calling you to your future - and working through trauma with, and for, the one you love. Think Rooney’s Normal People, but set amongst thespians.

I listened to Eimar McBride narrate this herself via Audible, and I’d highly recommend it. As well as her being a fabulous narrator, she is obviously best-placed to interpret her peculiar use of language, the strange, poetic sentence structure you may recall from A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing. I love hearing authors read their own work, especially when their use of language is unusual. Listening to McBride was a joy.

This book is certainly not for everyone, especially if you like your action direct and, well, actiony. But if you like a deep-dive into the inner workings of flawed humans trying hard to honour their love for each other, while sometimes letting their pride/ ego/ jealousy/ addictions/ naïveté/ traumatic childhood get in the way, then you’re in for a treat (and a trigger warning).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence

Minor: Drug use, Self harm, and Violence