Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

210 reviews

becxaa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Rape

Moderate: Racial slurs and Toxic friendship

Minor: Vomit

dalek_caan's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

0.5

If I wasn't reading this for a book club I wouldn't have finished it. I don't understand at all what I was supposed to take away from this book other than grad school sucks. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

prizazz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Wow. Yeah. Real Life is too real in the messiness of the characters. I think I'm going to THINK a lot about this book, but I'm NOT going to want to read it again anytime soon. I like the language and the observations made by the author. He is SO articulate, but the romantic relationship stuff is WAY rough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

I'm not sure with the ending if I should be hopeful or if I should just expect patterns to get repeated, because the author may be implying that and I so HATE that for all the characters, except for Dana, what a jerk!

nova123's review against another edition

• 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? Yes

4.75

Made me cry on the train as well. Very beautiful written book with an extremely emotional depiction of the life of a black gay man in the Midwest ... but also so unhopeful at the end that I'm not sure if I would recommend it 💀 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Classism

havingacokewithyou's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i really enjoyed the prose, the way there's a poetic quality to it, and the story itself felt very personal and sincere.  still, it felt like the characters were held at arm's length despite us getting access to their deepest secrets ..... perhaps this was the intended effect?  it would fit thematically, but to me it reduced the emotional effect.  definitely need to read taylor's other work now though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Rape

loganmedrano's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent

ketsy95's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

The writing was beautiful. The story gutted me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

charliesbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

best read this year so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

angelkisses's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

Don't know how to describe this except wow what an enthralling read. I was seriously hooked - the dialogue is so sharp and real, the description is seriously lush. Bravo, applause all around. I was feeling pain and had to stop reading several times to shout in frustration /pos. Reminded me of why I love reading.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Death

mayasriram7's review against another edition

3.75

I should have read the content warnings before reading this book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism

Minor: Vomit