Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

20 reviews

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

notthatcosta's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I had a lot of anticipation before reading this, and overall I found it very well written and well paced, albeit a lot more subtle than I was expecting. This is my first time reading Claire Keegan's work but I've since seen some reviews remarking that her other stuff is a lot darker than this, which intrigues me. 

The dialogue was particularly strong from the supporting townspeople, the opaqueness of which complemented the earnestness and pathos of the protagonist. I really got a good sense of his temperament, motivations and backstory, which is an achievement in a novella. 

I appreciated the economy of the writing and how it created an air of tension and mystery whilst providing enough exposition to keep you in the story. It made me hungry for more, which is the mark of a good writer, especially of shorter books. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

poisoned_icecream's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Child abuse

Moderate: Sexism

vas_17's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Child death and Vomit

rcsreads's review against another edition

reflective slow-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

2.25

I felt like this ended just as it was getting interesting. I also felt like the perspective of a middle class, white man was the least needed pov for a story about the mis-treatment of women and girls. 
 The writing is fairly basic, and the characters felt flat. The phrase "he released a breath he didn't realise he'd been  holding" was used, which is possibly the most cliche sentence in the history of literature!
 It was fine, I read it in an afternoon and it brings awareness about Magdalen laundries in a way your granny could read without being shocked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

natgeographic's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Slavery

alixcallender's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse and Abandonment

rieviolet's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

This is not by any means a bad book (or rather novella) but I think that its shortness left me wanting a bit more, in terms of plot exploration and side characters' in-depth portrayal. 

The main theme is hinted at quite a lot but it is not really properly delved into
and I think that readers might be left a bit confused, especially if you know little (like me) about this aspect of Irish history. 

I still think that it is a pleasant read, with a nice writing style and, above all, I quite liked how the main character was depicted and his narrative trajectory. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, and Death of parent

alisonannk's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Classism

nickiholmes's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Suicidal thoughts