Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Against The Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa

30 reviews

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

Titled with the words of James Baldwin, Against the Loveless World is a novel of love and rebellion amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Its heroine, Nahr, is a daring, sarcastic displaced Palestinian who writes the story of her life from solitary confinement, the timeline leaping between her present imprisonment and the years that led up to it.  In Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, she survives as a sex worker, beautician, daughter, sister, wife, divorcee.  But every step she takes leads her to the man with whom she shares a powerful love, and that makes it all worth it.  This book offers readers a glimpse of human experience beneath an ongoing political crisis.  I especially appreciated the discussion of sexual trauma within the context of such a conservative culture.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and Colonisation

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, and War

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

aaronjdilkes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War

sirissacgluten's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Islamophobia, and Abortion

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

fromjuliereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was such an emotional rollercoaster and such a difficult read. But wow. It was so incredible, raw, graphic, hopeful. I found it to be incredibly difficult and sad to read at the beginning through so many of Nahr's experiences. As the story goes on, there is more and more hope. 

I think it was a hard read because you know even though this is fiction, there are people with stories like this, people like other characters in the book. 
Definitely recommend but check the trigger warnings. 

I will admit that it has a slower start and I struggled with the pacing and the plot at the beginning, just with it being such graphic and difficult experiences written for a long portion. But as the story evolved and broadened it made more sense why it started out that way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, and Abortion

Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit

sjanke2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Excrement, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

sarahholliday's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This stunning piece of storytelling left me speechless, awe-struck. 

Abulhawa paints an unflinching picture of life as a refugee, of settler colonialism, and of the complexity of womanhood in the modern Arab world. 

Nahr is a beautifully complex protagonist, moving through life with the same spirit that captures her while dancing, but grounded by a devotion to family and, eventually, her people's land and history. 

This might end up being my favorite book of 2021, and I can't recommend it highly enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, and Excrement

Moderate: Homophobia

tatitos's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Sexism, Antisemitism, Abortion, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Alcoholism

gabriellejane's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, and Abortion

claudia_bow's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Abortion

shelfmadewoman's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A devastatingly beautiful and lyrical novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Grief