Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

5 reviews

hardbackhoarder's review against another edition

challenging dark funny 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? Yes

4.0

I would not recommend this book to anyone but myself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

readerette's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

This book couldn't seem to decide where it was going. The characters were mildly interesting but Madi is mostly just petty, racist, and not an accurate portrayal of a 13-year-old. Her friends were more interesting than her but didn't get a lot of focus. The twist

, that she's a character Satan made up,

doesn't fit in the context of the story. I guess it sets up the sequel, but it is unnecessary because she was already on a path to do what the twist sets up, aka

challenge Satan, since she decided to amass armies and change the landscape of Hell and what her armies do with their eternities

.

The story only really stands out for its dramatization and mocking of greenwashing, teenage relationships, Hollywood, and wealth. It's hard for me to recommend because while it's one of the more approachable of Palahniuk's books, it also lacks substance. In the audiobook narrated by Sophie Amoss, there are a few mispronunciations and possible editing mistakes. 

If I squint, the story may be written as is because

Satan did in fact make it up, isn't a great writer, and wants us to find Madi annoying and excessively self-demeaning so that we cheer for him in the final battle

. The problem there is that the second book shouldn't be its own book then and we shouldn't have spent so long on this one, and who is going to

want Satan to win

, even in a world built by Palahniuk? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, and Abortion

lindseyrenee's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Abortion

rotfaced's review against another edition

DNF. I've read some of Palahniuk's work before, so I'm familiar with his brand of writing. Still, this was a middling concept with poor execution. Narrator was far past insufferable, and any attempt at subversive humor or interesting insights into the biblical hell were easily overshadowed. I'm not a very sensitive person, but this book was neither funny nor engaging. It was just disgusting. Cheap, nasty grossout after grossout, as if Palahniuk's sole goal in writing this book was to see how may things he could drop on the page for shock value before the reader gave up. Well, I'm giving up. Thoroughly unenjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

keramix's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

2.5

Although not his best work, this is still pretty okay. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, and Murder