Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

215 reviews

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism

delsbells's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Classism

zevatybel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

bainesy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Reading this book in 2025 was an interesting experience. There were a few things that left me going “huh” but may be explained in the second book to this duology, so I’ll hold judgement for now. Overall a very thought provoking uncomfortable read. 

Also, if you don’t understand something in this book and think it’s “so far out there” or things are talked about to flippantly, welcome to your own privilege and/or lack of understanding. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

this was a challenging bit rewarding read. given the current climate, this book feels really timely, almost prescient.  At times I felt the characterization of the main character felt it bit off, it felt to much like reading about someone taking about the character rather than the character using their own voice if that makes sense. still i enjoyed the book and while it wouldn’t be one i’d recommend to everyone, it’s going to be sticking with me for a while

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Incest, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

leannanecdote's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

louie_hax's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, and Classism

Minor: Classism

takarakeireads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

phew... this is a rough book to read because Octavia is a genius and she basically predicted the world we live in now 30 years ago

The book starts in 2024... a dystopian society, told from the perspective of a teenage girl's journal, who is trying to create her own new religion. Even though some really horrible things happen in the book, the overall tone is rather matter-of-fact and for that reason the storytelling arc fell a tad flat (it's just very different from typical plot pacing that I've read, so maybe that's why). I have to see how it ends so... yeah I'll read the sequel :')

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Rape, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Grief, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Classism

jad15215's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, and Abandonment

Minor: Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Classism

vee_eb's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? No

4.5

Prescient novel. Butler drew from real history and then current events to accurately predict what the 2020s are shaping up to be. And it's dark.

Favourite quote:
"It's better to teach people than to scare them, Lauren. If you scare them and nothing happens, they lose their gear, and you lose some of your authority with them. It's harder to scare them a second time, harder to teach them, harder to win back their trust. Best to begin by teaching."

The only thing I would say is that because I'm not religious in the slightest, some of the belief system doesn't make much of an impression on me as I shy away from religion in all forms. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism