Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

15 reviews

jneverland's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Body horror, Blood, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Abandonment, Ableism, Infertility, Violence, War, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Deportation, Death, Racism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Genocide, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Gore, Medical content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Suicide

karoliiine's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Child abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Torture, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Deportation, Mental illness, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: War, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Racism, and Antisemitism

lotus440's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse

lorraine19's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I read this book after I started the show. (See spoiler for connection between show and book.) It is very tense and covers extremely sensitive subjects in a brutal way. 

For this reason, I'd advise against reading if you are sensitive or have trauma that is easily triggered. 

However, it does highlight some very relevant issues and is something I think many people should read. It will make you uncomfortable. You might have to put it down for a couple days to process it or take a breather. But it is worthwhile and will make you recognize small signs of sexism and discrimination. It shows how small things can escalate. It is also very heavy on religion and politics, but I view the main character as someone wanting to reclaim her religion from extremists - for this reason I do not believe it is anti-religious but anti-extremism. 

I do wish they went more into some of the other characters impacted (which I believe she does in the sequel) but it also did a good job of explaining the world strictly from the main character's POV. 

<SPOILER> The book only covers what is basically the first season of the show but the plot is also a bit different. This leaves it open ended as well. <SPOILER>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Biphobia, Child abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, Classism, Antisemitism, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Violence, War, Abortion, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Ritualistic rape, religious extremism, political abuse

anotheranomaly_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Medical content, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Genocide, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Infertility, Injury/injury detail, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Police brutality, Body shaming, Cursing, and Death

sunny_not's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Incredibly brutal and awful. It was emotionally draining to some extent since it was so heavy. Idk if I will read the second book since this was quite challenging. If the questions that are left in this are answered then I might read it. Overall not a good time dystopia of dystopias kind of vibe. Still very thought provoking and interesting, that's why I gave this a high rating however this is nowhere close to being a light read in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, War, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

ahaines18's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense 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: Gaslighting, Infertility, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, Abortion, Rape, Child abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

q17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Rape, Police brutality, and Infertility

Moderate: Hate crime, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Miscarriage

Minor: Child abuse, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Classism, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Abortion, Acephobia/Arophobia, Ableism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Grief, War, Mental illness, Medical content, Racism, and Violence

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

definitely a slow burn but i liked the way it built tension somewhat exponentially with the narrator at the center of three mini rebellions—

Spoiler

seeing the Commander, defecting with Ofglen and Mayday, and conspiring with Serena Joy and Nick

—but in the end it didn't really amount to all that much. i love the inclusion of the "Historical Notes," they're terrible and perfect.
it's definitely white feminism, with racism in this religious-extremist totalitarian regime only mentioned once, in passing, at the very end. compared to another modern classic published just two years later, Beloved, it's kind of embarrassing.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. instant one-star deduction for having author's name larger than the title (sorry Margaret Atwood), and this is especially egregious; the title is relatively tiny. we all know minimalism has become excessive but i really like this one. the centering of the title is very satisfying, with approximately equal overhang of "HANDMAID'S" on either side of the dress. and the best part, get ready for your mind to be blown: see that dot in front of the Handmaid's head? it's the eye of a face in profile looking to the left hidden in the negative space. genius

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicide, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Classism, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Trafficking, Violence, Domestic abuse, Death, Rape, Infidelity, Misogyny, Infertility, Murder, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Alcohol, Animal death, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Child death

Minor: Abortion, Medical content, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Racism, War, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Vomit

evilyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

Obviously there are so many layers but if you haven't reread or read this after 2020 I would strongly recommend it because it's a very different perspective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, War, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Homophobia, Grief, Genocide, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Death, Colonisation, Antisemitism, Ableism, Abandonment, and Abortion