Reviews tagging 'Death'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

626 reviews

virgoreadss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense

• 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

5.0

i finished this book almost 2 weeks ago and i can’t stop thinking about it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, and Trafficking

j_loon's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

i already want to re read this

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape

antijeffbozo_love2read's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism

nicole_cob_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chanlo1994's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad 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? No

4.75

I wouldn't have picked this up if didn't get the free audiobook credit for it. It was fascinating to see a 90's perspective of 2024, which is the year I read this book, and the author's predictions of what the world would come to in a worst case scenario. Aside from the very extreme dystopian ideas, there are some parallels to today's world. I think we're lucky our government system hasn't failed us (yet) and this book is a stark reminder of what could come should we, as a community and society, fail. Not just each other, but ourselves. In the book, it's mentioned how "backwards we've become" and I know, with recent events, we've definitely heard that a time or two.

It is heavily Christian based, but it also expands from those teachings.

Pretty much if The Purge exists all day every day for years on end, this is what it would be like. I wouldn't be surprised if The Purge was partially inspired by this book.

Oh, and it's most certainly a book about the formation of a cult. Lol. But a good cult? It's yet to be seen.

Side note: because it was recorded in 1999, the end credits are delightfully dated lololol. Saying we could fax them to order a new book and such. I loved it lol.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

Minor: Hate crime and Kidnapping

This is a heavily triggered book for nearly every topic.

lllayluh's review

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

Essential reading, without a doubt. Butler’s writing style holds so much truth and at the same time leaves you questioning what she could have meant. Yes there are the obvious comments about what things have come to pass in the more than thirty years since this books publishing and also being mindful in her noting that she was also writing about the past. I just hope that we learn from the warnings she has left with us. 

“And what about those suspended laws? Will it be legal to poison, mutilate, or infect people—as long as you provide them with food, water, and space to die? 

Dad decided not to vote for Donner after all. He didn't vote for anyone. He said politicians turned his stomach.” (p. 37)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

pat_reads_slow's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

ashcash29's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was amazing, very interesting, I did not want to put it down. I knew it was dystopian but the quick, effective, and unrelenting violence described was a bit much too handle, so that heaviness for me left the book at 4.25 stars and that is why it's not higher. It is written at the level you would expect a 17-year-old (main character) to write, which helped me to stay in contact with the main character and her decision-making. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child death

viatryx's review

challenging dark emotional 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: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, and Pregnancy

rheagoveas's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Rape, Slavery, Violence, and Murder