Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Power by Naomi Alderman

35 reviews

vivikasweiven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Torture, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Cursing, Child abuse, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

A very, very odd book. It had me hooked for the majority. I liked all the characters (Roxy being my favorite, followed by Margot and Jocelyn, then Tunde, and Allie was somewhere in there before taking a major drop in the ranking in those final 10-20 pages) and the set-up, premise, and plot were all interesting to keep me interested. I really liked the way it made me think about power dynamics, morality, and gender stereotypes. The way the author processes the different ways women would go about life with "the power" is so fascinating, BUT the ending really fizzled out for me, which was even more disappointing since the build-up to it was so good. 

This book had so much potential to be a great, thought-provoking feminist read, but I don't think it can be that book when most of the women say

Spoiler

"yes, let's blow up the world because we can (???????). we have more power than men now, but they want it back so instead of working with them now that we're at an equal level, let's blow it all up, go back 5,000 years, and start all over again".

Not only did it completely blow up (pun intended) a lot of character arcs, but it was also just like a hopeless ending, which is notoriously the worst way you can end a story to me.

Spoiler

Allie's final story beat of becoming the President of Bessapara and choosing between war and peace had me at the edge of my seat, especially with the dynamic change between Roxy (who wants peace) and Allie (who wants war). I thought Allie finding her former adoptive mother and realizing that she was just as awful, if not worse than her former adoptive father, would lead to an epiphany that not all would be grand if women came out on top. Women can be just as vicious and violent and malevolent as men, and nothing will change. Only the reverse would happen. Women would be on top, leaving men with the scraps of the world, and I know historically that is how women were treated, but what kind of victory is that? Why would we create the same world that was so cruel to us? But nope, it seems like Allie didn't take any of this into account and chose war even after all of that. What an incredibly disappointing way to end her story.

Also, maybe someone can explain it to me, but I didn't really see the point of the letters at the beginning and the end of the book. Just give me the story in the middle. I don't need this weird back and forth, especially after giving me that apologetically bad ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Medical content, Torture, and Sexism

Moderate: War and Genocide

Minor: Bullying

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Trafficking, Cursing, Stalking, Sexism, Bullying, Genocide, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic friendship, Torture, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Blood, Misogyny, Physical abuse, War, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Vomit

madredeleones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, War, Torture, Suicide, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, and Death

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Medical content, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, and Drug use

Minor: Religious bigotry and Racism

innerweststreetlibrarian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-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

5.0

W O W! 
I really needed the first half of this book after the grinding misogyny of the last one I read, but oof it got really hard to keep going once I was about halfway through. Definitely needed more contemplation time between chapters to process what was going on. And that was quite a LOT. Very, deeply thought provoking, and a tad horrifying. Basically excellent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Drug use, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Torture, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Hate crime, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Trafficking, and Gun violence

Minor: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

paukinra's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Medical content, Drug use, Child abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Grief, Death, War, Police brutality, Hate crime, Gore, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Antisemitism

shea_proulx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Hate crime, Death, Body horror, War, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Medical content, Kidnapping, Drug use, Confinement, Sexism, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

lthumphrey's review

dark emotional tense 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Death, Cursing, Child death, War, Trafficking, Murder, Gun violence, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Hate crime

Moderate: Misogyny, Medical content, Genocide, Confinement, Alcohol, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, War, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Torture, Sexual content, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Death, Cursing, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Hate crime, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Self harm, Bullying, Child death, Abortion, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Slavery, and Suicide

alisonvh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

5.0

Is this book about gender dynamics or is it about the nature of Power?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual content, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Rape, Violence, and War