Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir

22 reviews

artemy_se's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction, Stalking, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

alitgentry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

annaavian's review against another edition

sad 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? Yes

1.0

 This book is severely overrated. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, and Gaslighting

annablanna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Smashed through this in a couple of days. The three stories differ in style and content but each make a nuanced comment on marriage, female emotion, and mania. Inherently French and a picture of second-wave feminist writing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Racism, and War

nicilaui's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

These three short stories about growing old and being abandoned really got to me emotionally. The last one in particular wasn't easy for me. Anyone who can identify with the hopeless situations of abandoned mothers will struggle here. Incredibly written. Only the first story has a heart-warming ending. I have to cope with the rest now. A very important piece of literature for anybody but especially for young people and women. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

jjisntstraight's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

I couldn't connect with the first story, "The Age of Discretion." It was the soporific ramblings of a boy mom, and the last novella was annoying. The standout for me was definitely "The Monologue." Pure, unadulterated female rage, and maybe it's concerning, but I found myself relating a lot to the MC, Murielle, at least with the misanthropic and nihilistic thoughts, her acidic homophobic and racist diatribes notwithstanding. The writing was chef's kiss, run-on sentences and all. The psychotic stream of consciousness was both chaotic and tragic to follow, but reading Murielle's delusions of grandeur and excessive narcissism wasn't as dreadful as when men do it. I think this manifesto against the world is the one I'll keep coming back to, and maybe I'll even make it a tradition to read it on every new year's day starting next year lol

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

zreadz's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

m00dreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

This was heavy. Female rage and agony ebb and flow throughout the entire collection: it begins with the pensive introspections in The Age of Discretion, surges into the caustic lashings of The Monologue, before culminating into the slow but absolute psychological deterioration in The Woman Destroyed.

Of the three, the first is my favorite and the second would be the least. Not for any reason other than the stylistic, if I’m being honest. It was a struggle to read through The Monologue’s violently amorphous structure—which I know, objectively speaking, is part of the point. The persona’s pain and fury burned like wildfire; it leapt from the pages and spared no one, not even the reader. Depending on personal liking, it can either be a merit or a headache. For me it was both—I understand the literary purpose and think it brilliant, but I also had to pick up a middle-grade fantasy and take a full day’s break just to unscramble my brain after that whirlwind.

The titular story, in my opinion, lacked the sense of satisfaction and closure that the The Age of Discretion had. But then again, also purely a matter of preference. Angry little gremlin that I am wanted blood to be drawn so I was lowkey disappointed when I didn’t get any.

Loved The Age of Discretion from the very first line. Length was perfect and I somehow found myself relating to the persona’s grievances?? (I’m at least 40 years younger; but society to this day hasn’t stopped making women of all ages feel like they’re supposed to be outrunning the clock… I blame late-stage capitalism and all its corollaries).

Individual ratings:
The Age of Discretion: 5⭐
The Monologue: 3.75⭐
The Woman Destroyed: 4⭐ 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity

rowanelisa's review

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol