Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

My Autobiography of Carson McCullers: A Memoir by Jenn Shapland

5 reviews

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

I think this is the first biography-memoir I have read, and I am not sure that resonated with me. The shorter chapters definitely helped it move along, but I also felt it jumped around a lot. I found it talked about a whole lot of things, but nothing particularly well, or in a positive light. The comparisons felt disjointed and out of place. There were definitely some interesting aspects, but I felt they were in the minority. I understand others will really like this one, but it just wasn't for me. Being a memoir, I do not rate it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Homophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Outing

pineapple_queen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism

mmtshali's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Domestic abuse and Mental illness

sjanke2's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Outing

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

✨MINI REVIEW✨

While working as an intern in the archives at the Harry Ransom Center, Jenn Shapland encounters the love letters of Carson McCullers and a woman named Annemarie―letters are that are tender, intimate, and unabashed in their feelings. Shapland recognizes herself in the letters’ language―but does not see Carson as history has portrayed her. (via Goodreads) 📚

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What I liked:

📚 Genre-bending memoir is one of my favorite types of book

📚 Thoughtful examination of how we make women prove they're gay in a way we don't make men

📚 Looks at McCullers’ chronic pain and illness and how that intersected with her relationships

📚 How many queer women of history might be hiding in plain sight and we refuse to see them?

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What I didn't like:

📚 The author seemed unable or unwilling to identify McCullers' husband as an abuser. There's a lot of pained ruminating on why she didn't leave him when she was clearly uninterested in him romantically, but frames his repeated threats of murder-suicide as "a cloud over her life" rather than "emotional abuse."

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Content warnings: homophobia, domestic abuse, attempted suicide, suicide, institutionalization, chronic illness. 📚

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization