Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

14 reviews

larappenfeller's review against another edition

emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

What a journey! I read this book at the request of my husband, and I absolutely understand why he loved it so much. Two broken families, in so many different ways, brought together by love and commitment despite all odds. 

I loved watching the character development and how they each fell apart and came back together across decades. I was so invested in all of their stories individually, but the way they interconnected and the growth each character had along with how it impacted the forgiveness and reconciliation as a whole was absolutely beautiful. 

I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, but if you want to feel something.. this is the one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual assault

bestkasescenario's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

Loved it! I liked how the author switched between perspectives & the timeline kept it really interesting. Not giving 5 stars because the ending felt rushed & I feel like it could’ve been more detailed. Overall a great read, I’d recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

mgdsmile's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I’m having trouble placing exactly what captivated me in this novel. In Ask Again, Yes, we follow two families whose lives become intertwined through trauma as well as marriage. The depiction of mental illness here was impactful and hopeful, and this book explicates how people can grow through life experience (both related to mental illness and unrelated to it). Reconciliation, commitment, and love are themes explored here. While it’s not necessarily Keane’s main point, I am personally continuing to learn how small of a world it really is, how long life is, and that it matters how we show up and speak and behave, which are prominent threads through this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism and Gun violence

Minor: Death and Sexual assault

mysterymom40's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual assault

silversparkles50's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Mental illness, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide

carolineeckels's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Gun violence

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault

encryptedorchardpest's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

tonyapeck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual assault

kbusemeyer's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This was a really well-written book. The author did such a good job at making the events and people’s reactions realistic. Every interaction felt like something I could see a normal person reacting the way the characters did.

I think there were a lot of little details that were added in that really sold the interactions and you got to see a wide array of characters thoughts and experiences which was interesting.

There was definitely some stuff that felt unnecessary or was confusing why we jumped to where we were at in the time period.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault

knkoch's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

God, this one flayed me a little. It's an examination of mental health and multigenerational wounds that repeat upon lack of repair. There is healing and hope here, too, a realistic sort, and yet almost unbearable pain. And then what comes after, because there's always an after. How do we come back from seminal events, turning points, or breaking points? How does it change not only a person's lifestyle but their perspective? How do children grow around trauma, and later understand it as adults? The author used time jumps unexpectedly, in order to cover more ground, and I came around at the end to liking that. Not every book needs to be 900 pages, as this would have needed to be to cover the 60-some year span in detail. It felt real, as there often are years or periods of life that pass by quickly without fanfare. It's a pointed emphasis not on life's usual milestones but on the important emotional events we survive. 

I think my own experiences with

alcoholism in families

really impacted my perspective. This was the first time in awhile I read something that made me physically stop and shudder, and it's the sort of thing I might use content warning settings to either avoid or at least be aware of in future. That's not the entire book, by far, but it was significant to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Mental illness

Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual assault