Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

38 reviews

fyre_flies's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Child abuse

Moderate: Self harm, Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death

jeezjane's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.0

a great concept but a very frustrating read, for the sole reason that the main character is sooooo obtuse, emotionally clumsy, and downright rude to people she is hired to help. like i didn't expect to dislike so much a character who is aligned with the motivation i had as a reader. so frustrating to read her make faux pas after faux pas, at the expense of her poor charge (who is so charming and cute). it would all be fine if she were new at her job but she isn't, she was hired for her nurse experience! i liked literally everyone else better than her and reading through her slowly making the connections that were obvious to the reader a full chapter ago was sooooo frustrating. at least she does get there in the end! the first half is such a slog but the latter half is more exciting. it gives some insight into famine-era Ireland but tbh the focus is more on the demands and damage from Catholicism. the ending is satisfying but not sure if it is worth the struggle to get there 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual assault

jamiejanae_6's review

dark mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child death, Incest, Self harm, Body horror, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

merrynthomas's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, and Self harm

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

kelly_e's review

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.5

Title: The Wonder
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: September 20, 2016

T H R E E • W O R D S

Intriguing • Mystifying • Distinctive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

A village in 1850s Ireland is baffled by Anna O’Donnell’s fast. A little girl appears to be thriving after months without food, and the story of this 'wonder' has reached fever pitch.

Tourists flock in droves to the O'Donnell family's modest cabin, and an international journalist is sent to cover the sensational story. Enter Lib, an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, who is hired to keep watch for two weeks and determine whether or not Anna is a fraud.

As Anna deteriorates, Lib finds herself responsible not just for the care of a child, but for getting to the root of why the child may actually be the victim of murder in slow motion.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Emma Donoghue writes such compelling and distinctive tales unlike anything else and in such a way that I am kept guessing from start to finish. This is precisely why she became one of my auto-buy authors. The Wonder has say unread on my shelf for several years, but with the release of a a full-length film in late 2022, I decided I needed to move it up my TBR before watching.

And what a unique book! Similar Donoghue's past books I've read, it took a good 50 pages to be fully engaged, yet as the story progresses it gets stronger and stronger until the dramatic grande finale. Despite the slow start, I found myself instantly curious to see how everything would unfold. My interest and suspicious continued to rise until everything comes together in the end. It's hard to say too much without giving away big parts of the story, but I just couldn't predict where it was going to go.

Donoghue has a very distinctive writing style, and her phenomenal writing was definitely on display throughout. The characters are well developed that I wanted to know more about each of them. Anna and Lib's relationship flourishes over their time together, even though it is so short. And the setting helped created an atmosphere of lies and secrets.

Bringing together science, religion, and superstation in a variety of ways, The Wonder was such a unique and thought-provoking story. While it started out slow, the ending was highly fitting and the narrative speaks to the power of two strangers coming together to transform each others lives.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue fans
• readers looking to diversify their historical fiction repertoire

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Good nurses follow rules," Lib growled, "but the best know when to break them."

"I must be cruel, only to be kind." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Incest, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Kidnapping, Vomit, Body horror, Misogyny, and Fire/Fire injury

vixenreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Despite how dry it can be at times, the mystery keeps you on edge, the lead is fascinating, and it reveals the darkest paths people will take to protect themselves and their reputations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Classism, Death, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing

Be aware that there is sibling incest, Münchausen syndrome by proxy, slut-shaming, and changing identities in order to get out of a hostile situation.

hedwig2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

lucyyybee's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Child abuse, and Medical trauma

oabird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

I loved this book, more than I was expecting. I found the setting very interesting, knowing little about Irish history. The strong religious influence on the community was something that I found quite challenging and thought provoking and I often found myself relating to the frustrations of Lib, the main character. The book makes what is a fairly monotonous plot device very compelling and by the end of the book I couldn't put it down. Some wonderful language and themes about community, prejudice, religion, motherhood. Would really recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Child death

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: War and Medical content

c_mariewrites's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

If there is one thing Emma Donoghue does well, it is absolutely rip your heart out in the last 100 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder