Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

36 reviews

agalla_'s review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

marianaribeiro's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

melinette7's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Very well written, poetic almost, but I do not enjoy very much being left in a reflective mood like I was after this read. It's beautiful and sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

sundaybookclub's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Car accident

maiahhtratchh's review against another edition

dark reflective tense 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? Yes

4.0

This book kept me on the edge of the seat and was very mysterious giving nothing away even at the end. It has a great commentary on American culture including purity culture, religion, and girlhood all experienced through the voyeuristic lens of the male gaze, specifically teenage boys. How they viewed the Lisbon girls and their inability to truly see them or want to actively help them had my skin crawling which  is the point. The Lisbon girls exist on page only as two dimensional characters who, unbeknownst to the boys, are crying out for help. However these nuances play out do subtly on the page that only a true understanding of the Lisbon girls can be understood if you were, at  one point, a Lisbon girl. After reading I scoured the internet for essays, videos, and fanfics that were able to put my scrambled and shocked thoughts into a concise narrative but I have only found small pieces spread throughout it. If you were a big English Literature kid who loves to look for the deeper meanings this book is for you. A point was taken off for unnecessary racism and racial slurs which took me out of the story immensely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Religious bigotry

elenamolinariiiii's review against another edition

3.5

I watched the movie before reading the book and I have to say in retrospective it is extremely faithful to it. MANY things gave me the ick here, but many others were really good. some people will complain about the male gaze in this, as I did for the movie, but tbh isn't that kind of the point? I think we should also allow for men to explain their life experience without being judgmental straight away, because in the book I actually didn't feel like the narrator "mansplained" the Lisbon girls' behaviour, but that he was just trying to make sense of the pain it caused to him, which contributes to keeping the girls in an aura of mystery... idk, I'll be thinking about this for a while but anyways the prose was very good imo, and I think I liked this better than the movie

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

mazzoccatoadele's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol

anima_vestaa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Definitely a 5 star read. The style is original and beautiful, the story captivating. A real page-turner that will leave Zhou contemplating about so many important things. Eugenides is brutally talented and insightful. Will definitely read it again at some point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

merle98's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This is a strike of genius that could have been ever so slightly more concise. But what a great critique of the male gaze and suburban society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

ashleighlynn's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Confinement, Sexual content, Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment