Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Les Piliers de la Terre by Ken Follett

124 reviews

twonky's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s hard for me to imagine holding on to hatred as long as these characters do.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Antisemitism, Pregnancy, and War

There’s a LOT of violence, bit it’s the Middle Ages.

julierambaeck's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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? It's complicated

2.0

This was a 2 star for me, and I think that is entirely my fault for picking this book up. This is not a book for me, and I should've known that. I can see and appreciate that this is a masterpiece, just one I didn't enjoy reading. It was waaaay to violent and explicit. 
I am glad I have read it, but it felt like a chore to get through - it took me two months to get through!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

ebullientbunny's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

the_cats_pyjamas's review against another edition

4.5

This is a fantastically written novel, effortlessly engaging and fully immersed in the historical setting. My only fault with it is that it is clearly written by a straight male and therefore some of the depictions of women feel overly sexual and the descriptions of sexual assault (which unfortunately is historically accurate) felt very graphic. However there are several well written female characters and overall it is an excellent read

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

alliegator13's review against another edition

5.0

Intricate plot; it’s highly enjoyable to see how the cast of characters’ actions and motives influence each other and the course of their lives. I loved the premise- everything being tied to the construction of a cathedral. The political intrigue, romance, familial tragedy, betrayal, and secrecy was all fantastic and entertaining. Plenty of good guys to root for and bad guys to dread.

The female characters, while interesting, are very highly sexualized. The male characters are not, and it took me out of the story. I felt like, instead of reading a book by a third-party omniscient narrator, I was reading a story narrated by a straight man. I was seeing the female characters through the eyes of a straight man. It takes away from the engrossing story, the world building, and the immersion. Additionally, there was no need for the graphic depictions of sexual assault and rape. Much of that could have been done off-camera. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

nostalgicloaf's review against another edition

dark informative tense 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

anna_pengu's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

amandadee's review against another edition

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

themoistmaker's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and War

ellenrobison's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

2.0

The author literally never missed an opportunity to graphically describe a woman’s breasts or insert sexual assault when neither moved the story along, and I couldn’t escape the feeling that the author was describing his own fantasies/fetishes. Gross.
The story villains were one-dimensional and predictable. The only redeeming quality of the book was the interesting insight into monastical culture and medieval politics.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence