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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
5 reviews
mildlypretentiousreader's review
lighthearted
fast-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
1.0
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany promises to be a lighthearted yet whimsical book about unraveling the true story behind the Fontana Second-Daugther Curse as well as looking beyond strenuous family ties--all while set behind the angelic and captivating backdrop of an Italian summer. If you are looking for that kind of book, promptly tuck this book away and look elsewhere.
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany might have been one of the most disappointing and boring books I have read to date.
In the Italian-American Fontana family, a curse was placed on all second-born daughters of Fontanas in which they are destined to never find lasting love. Over two hundred years later, this curse remains steadfast--no Fontana second-born daughter has had meaningful love. Two cousins, Emilia and Lucy, happen to be in that bunch. Their great-aunt, Poppy (a fellow second-born daughter), swears that if the three of them return to Italy, the curse will be broken. Deeply skeptical, both Emilia and Lucy reluctantly agree. Little do the two cousins know, Aunt Poppy's Italian past provides for an ulterior motive for their return to Italy. Thus, the story ensues... filled with a number of love interests, old and young, past and present, and thrilling experiences.
All the characters, except Poppy, were one-dimensional at best. Most were flat and felt more like filler characters rather than key components of the story. For instance, our main protagonists: Emilia and Lucy, are both tiresome. Emilia, who is almost 30 years old, is pushed around by her family and bends at their every will. Lucy is written off as a spoiled, annoying, and hypersexual young adult. Neither of the two girls is given any chance to grow into their selves. Both are incredibly flawed as well to the point where it seems almost comical. Emilia regularly slut-shames Lucy for being more provocative than herself, while Lucy enjoys being inconsiderate to her elderly Aunt Poppy. Neither is likable, and both of their developments make me cringe.
The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany might have been one of the most disappointing and boring books I have read to date.
In the Italian-American Fontana family, a curse was placed on all second-born daughters of Fontanas in which they are destined to never find lasting love. Over two hundred years later, this curse remains steadfast--no Fontana second-born daughter has had meaningful love. Two cousins, Emilia and Lucy, happen to be in that bunch. Their great-aunt, Poppy (a fellow second-born daughter), swears that if the three of them return to Italy, the curse will be broken. Deeply skeptical, both Emilia and Lucy reluctantly agree. Little do the two cousins know, Aunt Poppy's Italian past provides for an ulterior motive for their return to Italy. Thus, the story ensues... filled with a number of love interests, old and young, past and present, and thrilling experiences.
All the characters, except Poppy, were one-dimensional at best. Most were flat and felt more like filler characters rather than key components of the story. For instance, our main protagonists: Emilia and Lucy, are both tiresome. Emilia, who is almost 30 years old, is pushed around by her family and bends at their every will. Lucy is written off as a spoiled, annoying, and hypersexual young adult. Neither of the two girls is given any chance to grow into their selves. Both are incredibly flawed as well to the point where it seems almost comical. Emilia regularly slut-shames Lucy for being more provocative than herself, while Lucy enjoys being inconsiderate to her elderly Aunt Poppy. Neither is likable, and both of their developments make me cringe.
At its core, The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany attempts to be a feminist novel. However, all it does is project sexism and internalized misogyny. Lucy is continuously oversexualized. As we learn later on, Lucy is actually gay, but still her romantic and sexual relationships with people feel incredibly rushed and unrealistic.<spoiler/> Again, Emilia is a fan of slut shaming.
To make it worse, Emilia's entire character arc revolves around her becoming more feminine and confident about men. According to many of the book's characters, that's what makes a woman a woman. To me, this thinking is incredibly stupid. Why is womanhood defined as just femininity and men? What about women who dress more androgynous or masculine? What about the women who are not into men? Or who are into multiple genders?Essentially, the entire thesis of The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is that having men falling at your feet = being a confident woman. Yet, Lucy ends up gay. That just seems antithetical to the whole plot, does it not?<spoiler/>
To make it worse, Emilia's entire character arc revolves around her becoming more feminine and confident about men. According to many of the book's characters, that's what makes a woman a woman. To me, this thinking is incredibly stupid. Why is womanhood defined as just femininity and men? What about women who dress more androgynous or masculine? What about the women who are not into men? Or who are into multiple genders?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia
madsmcw_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
mmariericker's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
Not particularly well-written, and I found Emilia annoying at times (especially her internal thoughts and wonderings about love, along with her extremely random career paths) but the descriptions were fantastic and I adore Poppy (and even Lucy). There was an unnecessary (although relatively mild) sexual assault scene which was not well-handled and added nothing to the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
averydriver's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
thebookwormandbinx's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault