Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

19 reviews

stindex's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

kalyaniwarrier's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

A fictionalised story, told in a narrative that sounds so close to reality, mentions of grave events in real life that makes one realise the horrors taking place around the world.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a brilliant piece of work that is heavily regarded in temporal distortion as the timelines shift after every chapter. But unlike other works where such skipping of timelines makes the plot difficult to visualise and piece together, Christy Lefteri has done an incredible job in the pacing and sequencing the plot, readers can be gratified by following the plot without having to give thought to the timelines despite the lack of linearity. 

Apart from the various sensitive topics discussed, what one could find most appealing about the novel is the characterisation of Nuri, the protagonist and narrator and his mental health struggles. After losing his son to war, Nuri suffers with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as he tries to distance himself from the trauma he has suffered by making illusions of various sorts to cope with the distress. 

I could not point out flaws as the plot and characterisation of the novel does a wonderful job at portraying the tragedies of violence in an apolitical manner. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Police brutality, and Murder

Minor: Child abuse and Xenophobia

cristiana_criss's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? No

4.5

Într-o lume în ruină, în care durerea și deznădejdea sunt acoperite de praful răscolit de suflul unei bombe, Nuri încearcă să își aducă soția înapoi la lumină. Din Siria scufundată în beznă, pe valurile mării din Turcia spre Grecia, în taberele labirint, în care îți uiți calea și în care te afunzi și mai mult în propriile coșmaruri, ochii Afrei văd mai departe decât cei ai soțului ei, chiar și de sub vălul pierderii. Purtat de amintiri și înconjurat de zumzetul albinelor din stupii din Alep, Nuri nu se poate rupe de trecutul lui, făcând tot ce e posibil pentru a-și apăra familia în prezent. În căutarea siguranței, cheia de bronz reușește să deschidă, în cele din urmă, o ușă către o nouă viată.

"Dar Afra nu voia să plece, așa că ieșeam în fiecare zi, scotoceam printre ruine, căutând mâncare, și mă întorceam cu câte un cadou pentru ea. Găseam tot felul de lucrușoare ciudate, bucăți frânte din viețile oamenilor: un papuc de copil, o zgardă de câine, un telefon mobil, o mănușă, o cheie. Ce ciudat, să găsești o cheie într-un loc unde nu mai există uși pe care să le deschizi. Dacă stai bine să te gândești, e și mai straniu să găsești un papuc și o mănușă acolo unde nu mai există un picior sau o mână care să le poarte. Erau cadouri triste, rămășițele unor povești dureroase. Cu toate acestea, i le ofeream, i le puneam în brațe și așteptam o reacție din partea ei, dar asta nu se întâmpla niciodată. Însă continuam să încerc. Era o modalitate bună de a ne distrage atenția. În fiecare zi ieșeam și găseam ceva nou. Într-o zi, am găsit cel mai bun cadou posibil: o rodie."

- pg. 42

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, and Murder

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

A well written book, you can definitely tell the author knows about creative writing.  I feel like the style of writing shifts with the mindset of the characters when looking at the past/present. 


One thing that is constantly lurking in the back of my mind, especially after reading Yellowface, is who gets to tell which stories. I do like that the author acknowledges who they spoke to and what experiences they have related to the topics of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

sadiaa's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

lillyll's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and War

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

thebankofbooks's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Murder

jenniesreadingjourney's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Deportation

anna_2022's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Child death, Trafficking, Grief, and War

Minor: Physical abuse and Rape

miekss's review against another edition

Very emotionally challenging and vivid read. Will pick this back up again when I have more emotional capacity for it. It is a very sad detailed fiction story that’s reflective on the reality of loss, tragedy and severe life-altering circumstances in war. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail