Reviews tagging 'Violence'

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

13 reviews

kiwichill's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bendercath's review against another edition

emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was an excellent book … particularly good as an audiobook. As an English major, I have had a large dose of Shakespeare and appreciated the references. This book made me get out the old Riverside Shakespeare book to reread passages in the plays. The research involved with this book is impressive.

When reading historical fiction, I often wonder how realistic women’s voices would have been in the context of the era. We cannot know for sure. The voice of Emilia was strong and felt believable to me. The voice of Melina also felt believable but did not grow in strength the same way.

This book was very long but it held my attention very well. Although it did feel a bit arduous about 70% of the way in. 

There is a lot of domestic violence in some sections of the book, so be prepared for that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence

amachonis's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Cursing, and Vomit

kreglow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I enjoyed this one, but there were some issues. Pacing was inconsistent with the intertwining stories. The Elizabethan era portions tended to drag and the language was more melodramatic, while the modern day portion was paced well enough, but only barely touched upon the themes of sexism and racism within the theater community, instead following the heroine of the story, Melina, and a character arc that honestly is not fleshed out enough to make its intended impact. There is a romantic subplot that really doesn't make sense and feels tacked on. And the ending introduces an element of magical realism that did not exist until that point in the story. Overall, a decent read, but not perfect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

rainbowbookworm's review against another edition

challenging informative sad

4.0

I've been reading Jodi Picoult’s work for decades now. Whether or not she hits the mark, her books are always thought-provoking and offer something to chew on. So when I heard she was writing a novel attributing Shakespeare’s plays to Emilia Bassano, I was thrilled—and even more so when I got a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That said, By Any Other Name left me feeling conflicted. Melina’s story? Underwhelming. The romance was predictable and didn’t add much, and Jasper’s big “reveal” wouldn’t surprise any modern reader. Honestly, Melina--knowing what she did about Jasper--should have given him more of a chance to explain. Overall, her chapters felt repetitive and dragged the pace down for me.

On the other hand, Emilia Bassano’s story was riveting. I could have easily read an entire book just about her. It was heartbreaking to see how powerless she was at every stage of her life—whether as a courtesan, a wife, or a widow. Her struggles feel all too timely, especially in a post-Roe world. Picoult doesn’t shy away from those brutal, violent scenes with Bassano’s husband, and it’s a stark reminder of how little control women had (and sometimes still have) over their own lives.

It’s tough for me to rate this one. Bassano’s chapters were compelling, but those final scenes felt maudlin and unnecessary. Melina’s chapters? Barely two stars. But because Bassano’s story deserves to be told, I’m reluctantly giving this 4 stars. Picoult’s exploration of Bassano as the potential author of some of Shakespeare’s works is fascinating and commendable, but I wish the modern-day storyline had packed the same punch.

4 reluctant stars from me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Antisemitism

somberlittleman's review

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

amybartoli29's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Pedophilia and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, and Abortion

theoceanrose's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Death, Miscarriage, Violence, and Pregnancy

davschi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Antisemitism, and Death of parent

devlaluna2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

wow what an absolutely vibrant novel!

let me begin my thanking netgalley for the arc of this book! so grateful

this is my first jodi picoult book, and went into by any other name with the knowledge that I am by no means a historical fiction girlie! i have a few historical fiction books I've read and enjoyed, but it is simply not a genre I tend to gravitate towards and read regularly. I have found, however, that multigenerational novels that explore a historical timeline as they intertwine with a modern timeline are my desired format for consuming the genre, which this book has! 

if you are a fellow lover of shakespeare's works, the debate surrounding shakespeare's authorship, playwriting and publishing industry politics, 1500s feminism, representation and diversity in the current theatre scene, or even christopher marlowe.... this is absolutely for you.

fully fleshed characters, beautiful and magnetic prose, complicated interpersonal relationships, and an outspoken main character that is witty and sharp, and above all, deeply passionate 

jodi's writing is so immersive and warm, even when discussing intense hardships and polarizing topics. overall, such a spectacular ode to what it is to be seen, known, heard, and remembered. 

fantastic! I have a new go to recommendation to give when asked about a genre i don't  frequent

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism