Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Les Piliers de la Terre by Ken Follett

18 reviews

breadwitchery's review against another edition

adventurous slow-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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Death, Violence, and Rape

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Pedophilia, and War

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Alcohol

delvesinshelves's review against another edition

I spent quite a while weighing the merits of this book and my own interest in the material against the gratuitous rape scenes and obscene misogynistic perspectives. 
I don’t shy away from challenging books, but there has to be a strong why when it comes to this degree of sexual violence. 
The most recent series  I read with content of this sort is the Poppy War trilogy, which deliberately covers a parallel to the rape of nanking. 
This book is not covering real historical events, and not all of the rape/attempted rape seems to be serving a purpose of any kind in the story. 
I was really excited to read about the building of a historical cathedral over the decades, but I think this book may be harmful without sufficient redeeming qualities for me to push through. DNF. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Gore, Death of parent, Death, Rape, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Grief, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Miscarriage

siniandi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I understand that this is one of Follett's most beloved works. It is a densely packed work spanning several decades; the plot is nicely interwoven with historical elements and makes one reflect on power structures and injustices that in some form persist to this day. I honestly loved most of the characters and the way the flaws of even the "good" characters reflect in the story. Follett makes sure to create a strong female protagonist, which I love. She seems believable and strong and wields power in ways realistic for the era.

The description of women and sex scenes are a quite male gaze-y though (as is usually the case in Follett's work) and the ending comes a little abrupt and too neatly, as if he really wanted to finish after 1000 pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Death of parent, and Gore

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Bullying, War, Confinement, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Classism, and Cursing

jaina8851's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious 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

4.0

I have such complicated feelings about this book! I can absolutely see why it is such a beloved book. On the other hand, I really could have done without the graphic depictions of rape and other violence against women. The argument of "that's just how it was in those days" doesn't hold any more water to me about a book that is actual historical fiction than it does when people defend it in Game of Thrones. It is possible to give a sense of horror and dread about those topics if they are necessary to include without putting it "on screen". Similarly, even positive and ostensibly loving descriptions of women's bodies throughout the book come right up to the edge of "breasting boobily down the stairs".

All of that said, though, I am glad I kept reading after parts early on that really turned me off. The story is beautifully constructed with the countless twists and turns and the ending ties everything together so incredibly well. I genuinely don't remember the last time I read a book this long and while this isn't a typical "vacation read", I'm so glad I decided to give it a go during a week when I was doing little else besides reading so that I could fly through it over the course of a few days. 

I was expecting the story to be a higher ratio of basically "infodumps about cathedral building" (to wit, my partner asked me at one point "have they started building the cathedral yet?" and I was like "NO and I'm over 25% of the way through!") but I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging I found the politics and treachery. The author mentions in the preface that he grappled with how to make Philip sympathetic as a man of God since he himself is not a believer, and I think he succeeded magnificently.

All in all, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this super long book, and while at first I was like "I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel(s)", after seeing what book 2 is centered on, I almost certainly will. It just will probably have to wait until I go on vacation again. 😄

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

joey1914's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Blood, Cursing, Miscarriage, and Rape

Moderate: Abandonment

turtlebucket's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Amazing read (twice) but I cannot give a 5 with the gratuitous and constant violence and sexual assault of women and the overt ways all male characters describe women. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Islamophobia, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Xenophobia, Classism, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Rape

sapphirelain's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Infidelity, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Violence, War, Gore, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

melina_30's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

marcelinetomorrow's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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? No

5.0

It's so complex, and there are surprises that you don't expect, but you realise that the author has been building up to it. It's so organized, and very well written. The character development is inmaculate, and you see how certain events shape the characters lives and how they survive traumatic events. It's very informative about the Middle Age, and i love how Ken Follet describes churches and buildings so detailed. You can imagine everything that the characters see. Fun fact, this book helped me understand more about this period of time that my school ever did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and War

delilah92700's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, War, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Animal death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse