Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes

75 reviews

jeremie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Child abuse

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse

Minor: Dementia, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Alcohol

thogek's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Dementia, Medical content, Child abuse, Grief, and Bullying

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Excrement

ky001113's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Abandonment, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Dementia

Minor: Animal death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Confinement

goldfishtangerine's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse

vivienneeverette's review against another edition

emotional sad

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

4.75

Laid my face on the book and just started sobbing. I feel empty and sick and upset in the best way possible. I am disabled and found Charlie to be very relatable at certain points, and the book offered an interesting perspective on parts I couldn't relate to. The story is truly heartbreaking :( Can't wait to read this book again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

inkstutter's review against another edition

challenging sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual content, Dementia, Animal death, Blood, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

wildestdreams's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma

Minor: Excrement and Alcohol

purplehulk713's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

3.75

So clever and tender, both in format and in content and so heartbreaking. It was not satisfying for me at the end, but that was probably Daniel Keyes's intention. However, the relevant themes of disability, family issues, physical intimacy, and research ethics made Flowers for Algernon so tantalizing. Perhaps the most poignant scene for me was Charlie's reunion with his sister: he is finally able to understand

Spoiler

what happened in their family, even if he might not remember later.

Be aware, this is a book that will force you to recognize your own implicit biases, but I urge you to read it all the more for that very reason. To me, Fay was the most interesting character, as

Spoiler

she was the only person who saw Charlie as a person after his operation and regarded him with care and respect likewise.

But how much do we treat people like things in our society? As if they aren't worth enough that they can simply be discarded? Algernon deserves the most magnificent garden of flowers, blooming every year with the most glorious blossoms. But for now,

Spoiler

will you lay some flowers on his grave?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Child abuse, Dementia, Alcohol, Excrement, and Sexual content

Minor: Incest and Suicidal thoughts

plume_de_renarde's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Ableism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Animal death, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Rape

delvainy's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

This made me so sad. That last line killed me. Obviously, this book has things about it that are uncomfortable to read, such as the constant use of the r-slur. I’m aware, however, that it makes sense in a book from like the 60s? The past is a foreign country and all. I see the flaws in this book, yet I’m still glad I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Ableism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal death