Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

138 reviews

abernathy_33's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, and Vomit

robotnik's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Everyone told me I was just going to love Outlander. My parents were enjoying the show a lot and the glimpses I've caught of it were interesting. And, I love historical stuff. I love romance. I love rich detail and expansive lore and I can bury myself in it for hours and hours at a time, just soaking it all in. By all that, this should have been a book that made my want to dance naked in the moonlight, worshiping it. 

It didn't. Not even remotely. 

The first, I don't know, third, maybe, of the book was really interesting and I was super into it. But, then it just really started to drag on. And on. And on. I was pretty much ready for it to end by the time they reached Lallybroch or whatever it's called, and that's already after the plot stopped resembling a plot and turned into a Monster of the Week format where someone gets captured, people run around a bit and then they get escaped and everyone gets a breather where we pretend that Claire and Jamie are a good romance and then we rinse and repeat the process. 

And, don't even get me started on the romance because Jamie was cool up until he turned into a wife-beater. It doesn't matter how many times it happened, or if it fits the time period. Don't expect no modern day reader to read that and be all "oh hey yeah he's super sweet and the perfect romantic hero" cause he just needs to be tossed into the trash heap like all the other ones. The abuse was played for laughs, too, just a reminder. It was funny that Claire couldn't sit straight cause he beat her. Remember that tidbit. 

It took me a while to realize why this is a rape-y book, as people like to call it. Claire and Jamie didn't even get it on until about 300 pages in. But, then, yeah, I found out it's a rape-y book. (Oh yeah, extra reminder that sometimes Claire says no but Jamie is horny so they "make love" anyways). In fact, that's pretty much the plot because that's what the climax is about. If that was the climax. I don't even know. 

Don't get me wrong. I liked a lot of parts of this book. But, there was so many parts I didn't like or made me side-eye it that, at the end of the day, I just can't be into this series. It should have honestly been half as long. No one needed to be captured and rescue that many times. Seriously.

I'll go read something now where the main character doesn't spend five pages poking the dirt with a stick as she digs for weeds, or whatever it is that Claire does with her time when she's not being kidnapped or rescuing Jamie or whatever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Violence and Xenophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

aseel_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? No

3.0

This has potential but the last 100 pages were just... A Choice...

like how she got Jamie out of his trauma 'funk' and then only realising that because she knows the future for the time, she has a duty or maybe not to do something??? Just came out of nowhere.

i also found the writing at times to be dense and a slog to get through all of the descriptions and another thing

so much sexual harassment? Like did it have to be almost every male character?? Such an uncomfortable time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexism

Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

creeepybones's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

I honestly have no idea what the hype or gross fixation people have with this book. 
I could understand how the basic story line could be romantic; but the toxicity and open sexual violence and misogyny is sickening. 
I did not enjoy it at all. 
As well as it being such a slow read. 
I would not recommend to anyone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

cesliecanread's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

knottyrissareads's review against another edition

I watched the series, so I thought I’d read the books. I got almost halfway through this and just cannot stand the sexual violence. 
She gets assaulted many times, even by her husband. 
I googled “does the sexual assault in the outlander books end” and found a Reddit thread saying there’s more scenes in the books than in the shows, so I’m out!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

booksnart2023's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, and Sexual harassment

gooddaykelly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense medium-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Abortion and Alcohol

steph51581's review against another edition

dark emotional

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

I, for the life of me, will never understand why so many women are obsessed with Jamie Fraser. A character who, not only beats and rapes the fmc, but enjoys it. It was legitimately one of the grossest, most disgusting things I've ever read.

I literally just read a review that said something to the effect of "Can Jamie catch a break? Poor guy!"

Well, he's a wife beater and a rapist so actually this series could only improve after book 1 if he enjoyed some really inventive, torturous death (a personal preference of mine for how a story's villain should be treated), but unfortunately I'm aware that doesn't happen. Also he can just fuck all the way off. 👍

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape

isabellajay_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Certainly problematic at times. If you're after sex and enchantment, stick to the TV show. If you want never ending conflict, and character backstory - the book is good. The narrator is incredible. This story will always hold a place in my heart, so perhaps I'm being a little biased in my rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

The medical scenes aren't as detailed or as gory as the TV show. The sexual assault between a captor and prisoner descriptions are more graphic.