Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Paul by Daisy Lafarge

8 reviews

teainthelibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

2.75

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parkingvalidator's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

I was so eager for this book to end because I knew
Frances would finally get away from such a slimy, vile man
.

The cover of this novel truly depicts Frances’ character and
the hold that Paul was able to have on her. I am glad she was able to choose best for herself in the end
.

How had this man ever been the sun?

I feel dizzy, as though the world has turned upside down; but I’m the one who’s been standing on my head, mistaking the sky for the ground. Not wanting to believe what my body, exhausted, already knows.
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happyknitter2020's review against another edition

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

2.0

A dark story about a complex young woman in France, caught up by a controlling older man with stories about his travels, when she finds out he has sexual abused young girls.
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jckdyle's review against another edition

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

4.0

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tesslw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

When 21 year old Frances leaves her studies in Paris following an academic disgrace that leaves her relationship with her supervisor virtually in tatters, she is excited to spend time working on organic / ‘eco’ farms across France. She’s looking forward to travelling the country, discovering new regions, and of course to meet new people. However it just so happens that one of those people is Paul; an ‘anthropologist’ turned photographer who owns Noa Noa, a farm in a sleepy southern town that Frances arrives at. Paul is charismatic and welcoming, a man of the world - but soon their relationship intensifies and Frances finds herself in a much more complex scenario than she had ever anticipated - and totally unable to determine the best way forwards. 

I don’t want to delve too far into the plot but LaFarge does an incredible job at creating a creeping, insidious sense of discomfort that slowly dials up the tension until you realise your skin is crawling. The way that our image and understanding of Paul gradually builds up as we meet more of his friends and acquaintances and start to see cracks and inconsistencies in the stories he has told is chillingly effective. Frances’ naivety and palpable vulnerabilities left me wanting to shake her on occasion but that just added to the agitation of reading this.  

This is a story of manipulation, passivity, gaslighting and powerplay, and also poses some interesting questions around silence and compliance, as well as how we perceive and navigate shame. Discovering that this book is also loosely inspired by the artist, Paul Gaugin certainly added an extra layer of context to this read as well. 

I really enjoyed the audiobook for this - and I definitely plan on picking up whatever Daisy Lafarge puts out next! 
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bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

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

4.0

The word that keeps coming to mind when I think about PAUL is "suffocating." It is intentionally uncomfortable, forcing readers to reflect on the persisting allure of men who do not deserve the status/position/adoration that society continues to grant them. If this is Daisy Lafarge's fiction debut, we are certainly in for a treat with whatever she writes next. (And if you've also read this—or even if you haven't!—I highly recommend Ella Fox-Martens' corresponding Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/09/paul-tears-down-myth-gauguin/671332/)
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anxiousbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

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momentsofmine's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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