Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Lessons

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

isabelsophiex's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective

3.5

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damianwayne's review

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emotional reflective 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

3.75

I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book of I’m being honest. I haven’t lived enough life to recognise whether what McEwan is saying has a profound and real meaning or not.

I don’t know if this being semi-autobiographical makes me like it more or not. It is still too suspended from his own life to make it particularly sentimental (although I was a bit emotional knowing that the dedication was to all his siblings, including his long lost brother), but it most certainly would not be anywhere near as cohesive without his real experiences.

I feel like an awful person for saying that Roland’s experience with and the subsequent decades-long fallout from Miriam was the most interesting part of the book, but it’s true. Roland still cannot fully reckon with just how much damage her grooming of him had through the rest of his life, and seemingly he never does. I really hope Roland’s confusion and inability to separate (what he viewed as) love and her crime is just how unresolved it is and not McEwan saying it requires more nuance. Because it doesn’t. She was an paedophilic adult woman who groomed and sexually exploited her student from the age of 11. There is no leeway there. My concern is that by referring to them as, in a roundabout way, both complicit, McEwan is showing has not learned anything in the 21 years since Atonement was written where he called Lola and Briony just as complicit as Paul. The rapist and victim should never be presented as on equal standing in the matter. That makes me uncomfortable in rating this super highly.

However, I do believe Alessa’s transphobia is meant to be parodying JK Rowling and her insane black mould-driven rants. Thank you for that laugh.

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haylsr's review against another edition

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reflective 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

3.5

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aurorabulgaris's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

The style is absolutely impeccable!

The plenty of historical events setting the scenes of a simple yet unusual life made for a wonderful read. Even the difficult topics are written in a way that draws you in and doesn’t let you look away.

The main theme? If inactions are valid choices to let life happen to you and hope for the best? Seeing that despite it all the main character died happy, I agree with McEwen, that they probably are.

Until I read this book, I didn’t realize I needed one telling me the story of a human who was not (trying) to be a hero, to make a change, who was just trying to get through life.

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mrlsdevos's review

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emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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poppyholmes's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sdossett's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Well written and interesting perspective on major modern world events. A biography of a person with huge potential shaped by his life experiences good and bad.

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