Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

15 reviews

heather_harrison's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

3.25

This book has left me with the controversial question once again - is the book actually better than the move? This time I'm not sure. 

I enjoyed how the backstory for Francis Dolarhyde was teased out, and his bizarre relationships. I would have certainly enjoyed a bit more of the infamous Hannibal Lecter. His cat and mouse relationship with "retired" FBI profiler Will Graham was exceptionally interesting. 

I kept finding myself pulled out of the story with the blantant sexism... Every woman that appears anywhere in the story described in terms of her beauty and it was honestly just annoying. It was weird that Graham would focus on woman when the families are all targeted by the Tooth Fairy, and the idea that he picked the families based on the woman did turn out to be completely unfounded. There were so many moments were our protagonist, our seeming knight in shining armor, just did not pass the vibe check. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Stalking, Misogyny, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Body horror, and Death of parent

gilmargirl's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, Body horror, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Body shaming, Child abuse, Bullying, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

thetallestbird's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

This will always be one of my favorite books and I will always give it full stars whenever the opportunity arises. That being said, I'd only recommend it to others with some caveats.
First, there are some parts of this book that are truly disgusting. Read with caution and mind the content warnings.
Second, if your main exposure to this series is the NBC Hannibal adaptation, just know this is a very different style of storytelling. I've loved every bit of media related to this series from childhood (I may never understand why my dad let me watch Silence of the Lambs at 8) and I consider NBC's Hannibal to be a masterpiece. That said, the books are much more linear. Maybe a little dry at times. I personally enjoy Thomas Harris' writing style, but as always, your mileage may vary.

I could go on forever and ever about how much I love this book and the rest of the series but I'll spare the essay here. It's a great story to be enjoyed safely and with an open mind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Blood, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Pregnancy

Minor: Dementia and Racism

phantasia's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty

frmeden's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cursing, Murder, Medical content, Body shaming, Violence, Child death, Ableism, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking

Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Cannibalism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Misogyny

volo's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I like this book because im obsessed with the Hannibal series. It very much feels like it was written back in 1988. Lots of racism and homophobia and very detailed childhood abuse. I dont like this Will Graham as much as I liked Edward Nortons Will Graham in the film adaptation or the NBC series but it was alright. Definitely a cult classic that probably wouldn't get the same following if published today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Torture, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Ableism, Cursing, Sexual violence, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Antisemitism, and Misogyny

Many mentions of graphic childhood abuse. Graphic depictions of gore and torture. A fair amount of racism and homophobia.

thechocolatefinger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I actually think about this books a lot and how good it was. I really recommend and it’s much better than the film
it focusses on actual Francis not Hannibal so don’t expect stuff about Hannibal even though they put his name all on the front cover he’s just a minor character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicide, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Dementia, Gore, Homophobia, Stalking, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Medical content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

chelseachips's review against another edition

dark informative tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

freshbatchofbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual violence

Minor: Emotional abuse

rendezvous's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Blood, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Torture

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual content, Racism, Cursing, Bullying, and Xenophobia

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Panic attacks/disorders