Before we start, can we talk about this cover? It’s eye catching and elegant. Definitely attracts a reader to want to read the synopsis, IMO.

This story couldn’t be more relevant to what we have been experiencing as a society. In the wake of the increasingly alarming stories of sexual assault being shared this book provides perspective from the victims; it will make you pause and evaluate how you, and others around you, support victims – or lack thereof.

The story follows 3 women who have been taken advantage of by their adult teacher: a family man who preys on 15 year-old students. They did not know each other then, but one’s story brings the unlikely group of friends together to expose a school’s beloved teacher and said school’s negligence in investigating previous complaints. It is such an important story, and the author did a great job of creating 3 different characters who experienced similar abuse but each were affected in different ways.

“Furious about a society that so easily casts doubt and blame on women as though we have nothing better to do than make up stories.” In reality most victims prefer to not speak out in fear of being shamed. Author, Victoria Namkung, takes you on a journey that will make you question what you would do, or how you would judge, in a similar situation.

The book is a quick read, and one I highly recommend to all.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.
This was my first experience with a NetGalley book and I am very impressed.

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

"Don't you find it interesting that these types of crimes against women --whether it's violence, sexual assault, rape-- are the only kinds where we force the victim to make a case about their own innocence before even investigating?"

That quote really stuck with with me throughout the book. In light of recent revelations, this topic of this book is kind of telling of how those react to an event similar to what occurs in the book. The victim shaming. The denial that there is a problem because they seem like a "nice person." How the victims react and cope with the trauma. Though there were some formatting issues that I suspect are largely due to this being an arc copy, I found the story to be well written and moved at a good pace and illustrated a topic that is often swept under the rug.

These Violent Delights is an easy-to-read novel that deals with a very important topic nowadays. Following the Hollywood scandal and all the Spotlight-like cases, I can't think of a more timely book today. However, although the topic is not a happy one, I didn't think the book was a particularly tough read, and that was kind of weird.

I enjoyed this book and I'm certainly interested in the topic, but I didn't feel emotionally attached to the characters, perhaps because of the structure or the writing (too much dialogue/articles/e-mails). It felt a bit like non-fiction in the sense that the importance relies on the case per se and not on the characters' experiences. We never witness their pain directly, only through their e-mails and texts.

Have you ever read a book and thought that you liked what was said but not so much how it was told? This was my experience with These Violent Delights.

I had recently read a book that dealt with domestic abuse and had not been too happy with the way the author had handled that subject matter. This author did not have that same problem. I felt that the issue of sexual abuse and abuse of power by authority figures was handled delicately and maturely. The story revolved around a former student who was interning at a newspaper and decided to share her incident through the news. This later led an investigative journalist, who was this student's mentor, to help track down other women who had faced similar issues with this same teacher. The author really showed what investigative journalism is like. I also liked that the author did not shy away from difficult aspects of abuse. The story was also very real about the physical and mental damage that comes with abuse, as well as the negativity that comes when people accuse someone of perpetrating the abuse. It was very insightful. I will say that I don't think this was really a story. From the way it was written to the actual events that were happening in the story, it felt more like a nonfiction book, which may throw off some readers. Either way, kudos to the author for doing a good job in chronicling sexual abuse in schools. I'm giving this a solid 3/5 stars.

This is a ripped from the headlines story of an abusive male teacher at an exclusive all-girls private high school, and the women that both live with and fight in the aftermath of his actions. When college student and newspaper intern Caryn writes an explosive expose about this Dr. Copeland's attempts to start a relationship with her at 14, many other women come out of the woodwork. Guiding the coverage of the events that follow is Jane March, Caryn's mentor at the paper and award-winning journalist. The reader follows Caryn, religious Eva and wild child Sasha as they come forward in the investigation and attempt to finally send Dr. Copeland to jail.

No doubt that this is an important topic, but as a reader I do not feel we got to know any of the women truly well, which made me less invested in their stories overall. We are told Jane is an amazing reporter, but instead of hearing about some of her past accomplishments we get a random romance with a former colleague (whom we barely get to know at all) and a one-page, also random story that is supposed to explain why she became a reporter in the first place.

Similarly we were told, not shown, that Caryn had strict parents who did not support her goals or dreams without one interaction/scene with her mother or father. The one character I got to know - and like - was Eva, mostly due to insight into her family life, interactions with her husband and openness with the other main characters.

Overall, a 3-star read that I wish would have been a bit more in-depth.

Thank you to Netgalley for this preview!

Blog review will go live from 3;30pm on Friday 24th November (UK time)

I received an ARC of These Violent Delights through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Although I wasn't able to read this book before its November 7 release date, I started it three days ago and flew through it.

The story follows three former students of the fictional Windemere School for Girls in Los Angeles, all previous victims of a predatory teacher who's been teaching at the school for nearly two decades. The novel is told largely through the perspective of main character Caryn, whose journalism internship at the Daily Trojan gives her the space and audience to write a personal essay detailing her experiences with this teacher. The publication of the story inspires several other victims to speak out, and the novel follows the investigation (journalistic and legal) and consequential actions of Caryn and the other victims' accounts.

Victoria Namkung weaves a very important narrative in These Violent Delights, one that is peppered with research of real-life statistics and that is especially relevant in today's media climate, when predatory, cis men are finally being held accountable for their abhorrent actions. This novel is uncomfortable to read, but not because it's poorly written - simply because of the sensitive subject matter and triggering content, including sexual abuse of minors, victim blaming, overt descriptions of rape, and suicide of a major character.

I think this book is well worth the read.

I liked the idea of this book more than the actual book. I think this is an important topic that needs to be explored more and I really wish this had been better developed (maybe it is in the finished copy) and written in the YA genre. I think this could have been powerful directed at teens. Young girls need to understand that these issues of sexual harassment or sexual pressure (especially from adults in positions that should make children feel safe, not preyed upon) are not okay. By the time we become adults, more of us know that.

Unfortunately, there was something about the writing style that made it sound a bit forced and artificial. The dialogue didn't sound natural. It implied that there were secrets that weren't being told, but I think it was just the writing style that made it seem that way. It had a lot of potential and I would have loved if it had come off as more authentic.

This book is a topical read amidst the #MeToo movement. You could feel that Numkang did her research very well, the story felt very realistic. But half of the time the book felt like nonfiction rather than a novel, I couldn't form any overly emotional bondings with the characters.

“Don't you find it interesting that these types of crimes against women - whether it's violence, sexual assault, rape - are the only kinds where we force the victim to make a case of their own innocence before even investigating?”

When I read the summary for These Violent Delights, my first reaction was how incredibly timely this story is …. My second thought was that I needed to read it.

Windmere School for Girls is an elite girl’s private school in LA. Dr. Copeland, chair of the English Department is loved by all. He’s a romantic at heart and has found his home at Windmere. Parents loved him, the administration loved him, and his students loved him too.

What many don’t know is that he has a penchant for young girls… the ones who are intelligent, yet quiet and for years and years he preys on them with no one the wiser. That is until one former student decides she can no longer keep quiet.

I really appreciated the story Namkung tells, and the way it unravels. After the first student shares her story, several others come forward and unlikely friendships are made and dismantled, families are torn apart and lives are ruined.

Namkung’s journalist background is very much apparent through the telling of this story. Told in multiple points of view, as a reader you get facts/perceptions from the girls affected as well as the journalist telling the story. The one person we never hear from though, Dr. Copeland, is a bit frustrating, and I suppose that is life… so many of us want to know why someone does something and will never get the answers we need. With These Violent Delights, Namkung really delves into the ways that those who are meant to protect us fail and how that can affect us in the end.

Overall, this was an interesting story, but I never really connected with the characters on the level that I typically like to. While I sympathized with the characters, I wanted a bit more depth to them and I wanted more depth to the relationships.

This is an important novel because of what it explores and Namkung presents it in a way that is thought-provoking and honest. While there were aspects I didn’t love, I think it’s absolutely worth a read to understand the #metoo movement as well understand the long lasting impacts abuse can have for those who have experienced it.

Very well-written timely novel about predatory relationships. I enjoyed the story line and feel that the book's message will resonate with many women who have been groomed by con artists into unhealthy relationships.

Wow! What a book! These Violent Delights is intense. It focuses on subjects that most people would shy away from. The author didn't shy away from anything. Instead, she paraded it around in from of the readers.

This book felt as though it was taken directly from the headlines. What does a school do when one of their own turns out to be a predator? Do they remove the monster or do they sweep the issue under the rug and pretend it never happened? How are the victims treated? What happens when the school in question is full of the children of the rich and powerful? All these were addressed in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Griffith Moon Publishing for giving me a ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was very well written and maintained a decent speed. The characters developed nicely. It was a beautiful piece of work and I would love to read more by the author. I am giving this book Four Stars because it was very well done but I had to stop and set it aside at times because of the subject matter.

InkedBookDragon

I really wanted to like this book– and for the most part, I did. With the potential to be a barnstorming novel discussing everything from the obstruction of justice to outright abuse, These Violent Delights definitely packs a punch from the first page.
It’s powerful stuff. At the start of the story, we’re introduced to Jane March, newspaper reporter extraordinaire, who is approach by her intern, Caryn, who has written an article on the abuse she received at the hands of her English teacher, Dr Copeland, whilst at prestigious boarding school Windermere. The article is published, and Namkung takes us all the way through the legal case, exploring the ramifications everybody involved experiences: from fellow victims Sasha and Eva, who both cope with what’s happened in different ways, to the way in which the school handles it.
The things that happen in parts of this book beggar belief, and it’s all the more shocking that Namkung draws on real-life events for almost all the events in here. That anger is present in every syllable of her writing, creating a novel that does draw you in as Namkung covers the entire case from beginning to end, giving you a fly-on-the-wall approach to the entire thing.
It’s fascinating, but her forensic examination of the case comes at the expense of her characters, and character development. Her characters are angry, yes, but it feels more like her anger coming through the page at us: and the huge leaps in time between key parts of the case leaves you disoriented and confused.
As a result, we never really get the chance to bond with the characters- they’re presented almost abstractly, like a series of facts rather than a personality in their own right. You do feel for them, and you’re rooting for them to succeed, but you don’t care about them as people, and that, in turn, makes us care less about what happens to them by the end of the novel- especially when a particularly tragic event happens near the end.
That said, this is a bold and unflinching look at a very uncomfortable subject that does need to be talked about. The coverage of the case is fascinating, and the abuser at the centre of it all- Copeland- is a dark void around which the story revolves. As we learn more about him, the more repulsive he becomes- and the more unbelievable the school’s cover-ups, and the defence by school parents, becomes. The fallout is interesting, horrible and very sad: it’s a necessary read, but not a nice one.

These Violent Delights is an intricate, carefully-written story of the sexual abuses that many woman face, along with the complexities and seemingly endless complications that come with it. This book does this by telling the story of three women's struggles to come forward and have their accusations taken seriously and fairly. I have incredibly conflicting thoughts about this book, so let's start with the things I liked.

The subject matter of this book is so important. As mentioned, These Violent Delights focuses on the stories of three women who were sexually abused by the same man--an educator-- when they were teenagers. We are seeing scenarios strikingly similar to this everyday, and it is disheartening to see people who either don't believe victims or who feel that it is okay to further harass the victims. This aspect of the book was all too accurate.

Namkung clearly did her research on these topics and took extreme care to tell this story with the utmost sensitivity and, at times, brutal honesty that they deserve. Her writing is sharp and poignant at many times,drawing clear points to many effects that often come with sexual abuse, such as victim-shaming and other difficult obstacles. I am incredibly impressed with the content itself and how realistic the entire story and circumstances were.

What I didn't like about this book was that I didn't really care about any of the characters. I sympathized with them and everything that happened to them, and their circumstances also made me think more about other women in this same position, but the characters themselves just had no life. It was presented in a very exemplary manner to me, as if this book was solely written to send a message and forgot to include characters and writing that draws the reader in to be emotionally invested in the story, and thus make the story truly successful at sending its message. I just wanted more from this book.

Much of the content of this book is given in newspaper articles, letters, etc., which got a bit dreary at times. I felt certain areas were rushed or not fully given the time and effort that they should have, which was slightly frustrating. I really just wish that this book had been written in a more engaging and accessible manner since the topic is so incredibly important.

Overall, I've given These Violent Delights three-and-a-half stars. I loved the message of this book and I would heartily recommend it for that alone, but the story itself just lacked the depth and emotional investment that it needed, and for that reason I had to dock some stars from its rating.

It has been a while since I have read women’s fiction or anything in the literary fiction genre, but These Violent Delights by Victoria Namkung intrigued me. While the title, from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was interesting, it was the novel’s exploration of the struggles of women, the pressures of society and how women are treated in the face of adversity that really made me pick this up.

These Violent Delights is a compelling read, packed with information and thorough research on sexual assault victims and trauma. The story is narrated by four women, one being a prominent journalist and the other three are victims of assault by an English high school teacher at Windemere School for Girls. Through these multiple perspectives, the novel offers a greater exploration of sexuality, victimisation and what it means to be a woman in modern day society.

The novel takes a strong stance on the rights of women and young girls, making a point about children needing to feel safe and secure in their school environment. The core of the novel shines through as we dive deeper into the investigation, unearthing the stereotypes and societal expectations of women. The novel reads like a court case; it commences with journalistic approach to set alight the investigation from the initial inklings of denial to the sentencing of the perpetrator. It is also drenched in facts and knowledge about rape culture and the credibility of women.

However, I found some aspects of the novel to be almost too informative in the way it was presented. I felt the novel dragged when the women’s stories are told in long rambling paragraphs, in newspaper articles, letters and social media. I simply didn’t enjoy the long chunks of dialogue and italicised text, especially during group discussions where I felt the dialogue was too formal and structured.

I also found I couldn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. While they were distinct in characteristics and personality – I liked reading about Caryn and Sasha in particular – I only cared about them in regards to their strength in facing their trauma together.

Overall, These Violent Delights is a novel relevant to our time, especially with the circulation of the hashtag #MeToo and the fight for women’s rights against rape culture. It is an insightful and sober tale that deals with the hardships of trauma, sexual abuse and how to come to terms with it.

A sexy, tawdry affair that could rock this dance community. Sexy, dangerous, and dark.

In view of what is going on in the media lately regarding the abuse of women, this book comes at a very opportune time. Windermere, a private all-girl school, is also where Professor Gregory Copeland has for years taught English. But he has also been abusing some of his young students, and this journalistically-written book exposes his transgressions in all their sordid reality.

Another day, another DNF...
Despite its incredibly important subject matter, I just couldn't force myself to continue to push through this book. The sexual assault of teenagers by their teachers is an horrendous area of our society that we, as a wider community, need to educate ourselves more on, but I wouldn't at all recommend that people do so through the blunders of These Violent Delights. It is incredibly badly-written, the dialogue is just filled to the brim with phrases that actual people would never ever say and the characters are far too self-aware that, at most points, the book reads more like a terrible cacophony of both non-fiction and manifesto than an attempt at a novel.
Also - I get that the teacher in-question is the head of the English department or whatever, but I definitely feel as though the title is more than a little inappropriate for the subject the book talks about. I mean, Romeo and Juliet, really?

I was unable to finish this book. I lost interest in the story very quickly and didn't care much for the characters. I found that the descriptions jumped around too much for me to follow and I was expected to go along with some passages that seemed far fetched (in order to get the story to move quickly). Instead of letting certain scenes play out in a way that gave me more insight into the situation, I was being told dry facts that read more like a bullet pointed list rather than an engaging story.

I may try this book again at another time. Though the subject matter does interest me, the book itself did not seem to execute it well.

A little repetitive throughout; but has a strong message.