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meaghanelizabook's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Incest, and Slavery
vixusg's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Firstly this book is exactly the genre of book I love--one that I've dreamed of writing myself. A post--apocalyptic survival story, with detailed information on how exactly they're surviving. Very realistic barring the hyper-empathy and bits of technological advancement but it's Sci-fi, so I wouldn't expect anything else.
I am particularly attached to the main character Lauren, I see a lot of myself in her character, both as someone who stores items in preparedness for if something went wrong or if a fire broke out and also as someone who hoards information from books on survival.
The only thing I didn't vibe with Lauren on was the religion. Im an atheist but I appreciate her views and the lore behind it but I am relatively indifferent to religion as a whole. I think it's an interesting religion she's creating, and interesting the elements she pull from other religions. I'm interested in it so far as a lore aspect rather than anything else. I do like the link between the title (parable of the Sower is a Bible parable) and Laurens new religion. It's is heavy on this aspect so asthiests and those with religious trauma beware.
As for the world...I live in California, so I know the landscape of the story very intimately. Having grown up in Sacramento and now living in southern California, I can picture every aspect of their journey because I've been there myself--honestly, a privilege to be able to have this kind of perspective while reading. Knowing first-hand exactly the kind of climate problems/natural disasters that California faces makes me all too familiar with Butler's idea of future.
That's not even to mention the socioeconomic disasters that are plaguing the story, of which, I find very realistic when it comes to the history and current climate of our country. I can see very clearly why this has been recommended in place of The Handmaid's Tale. I do find it far more encompassing of the various complex problems that exist in the story and our society. Very much like looking into a dimension that's just on the other side of the street.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cursing, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse and Excrement
eleanorrainbow's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Racism, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
Minor: Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
This book is full of heavy content, including descriptions of children being physically, sexually assaulted and tortured. Multiple descriptions of rape, killing and/or suffering of animals, neglected/mistreated corpses, cannibalism and more. The main romance is between a JUST turned 18yo woman and a man who's 1 year younger than her dad (47?). Which is treated as fine/normal/romantic. It's also a little to religious/faith/cult based for my enjoyment. I finished the book because it is compellingly written and Octavia Butler is renowned for her excellence. Very little hope/relief from the distressing content. Wouldn't recommend.ireaditonthebus's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
thissagreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.5
That being said, Octavia E. Butler wrote a great book. This book felt like a reader’s cautionary tale and “how to get prepared when things hit the fan in the USA” type of book. Which I appreciated, because she wrote about things LITERALLY happening now, and as scary as it is to read about all of the horrible atrocities in the book, by the end of it, there dies in fact seem to be this sort of hope with radical acceptance. The theme here, that’s throughout the entire book: Change is constant, and change is God.
The reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars, was because I did not care for the choice to have Lauren
Regardless, the messages in the book have stuck with me and will, probably for the rest of my life. This is the kind of book someone should read and annotate, so I plan on purchasing a physical copy.
Again, this book is not recommended for those battling depression and/or anxiety, plus there are some pretty triggering things that happen to the humans in the book. So I suggest taking breaks or pairing this book with a lighter read, so it’s easier to digest. It’s an uncanny, surreal science fiction novel, but it’s full of knowledge and should be on everyone’s bookshelf.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
beansprout562's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
meg1996's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
crybabybea's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Of course, there are moments of "action", in which the characters have to fight their way out of dangerous situations and survive, but the scenes move quickly without much detail, and instead the action serves to further the development of the main character, Lauren, and her relationships with her community. Lauren's narration is matter-of-fact and brutal. She observes the world through the lens of survival, and her idea of what it takes to survive evolves as she experiences more and more violence. Moving from quiet anticipation, to uneasy vigilance, to cautious magnanimity, her understanding of the world is showcased through her development of her spirituality called Earthseed.
Earthseed is something that I think can be analyzed in so many different ways and is definitely a huge reason why this book is as highly praised as it is. It highlights the knowledge of Black activists, but especially Black women. Motherhood in all of its forms is incredibly important to the formation of the burgeoning Earthseed community. Lauren also believes in the importance of intersectionality, embracing diversity and change. The questions of climate disaster and Lauren's seed collecting also point to indigenous wisdom. In developing Earthseed, Octavia Butler critiques people's cautiousness around changing traditional values, beliefs, and systems, and instead asks us to listen to the people around us, especially those with diverse opinions and experiences.
There are so many layers to unpack with this book, that I'm sure have been unpacked by people much smarter than I am. There are parallels to so many things. It kind of started to feel a little meta because while The Parable of the Sower presents parallels to issues that have affected different marginalized groups (but especially those of the global south and Black Americans), Lauren is somewhat privileged, at least via class, and the people in her community refuse to see the danger closing in until it begins to affect them personally. Which, of course, is similar to the mindset of white people in America. Y'know the whole "first they came for the communists" kinda thing.
Read it. It's still timely and clearly inspired many works of modern fiction. Be wary of trigger warnings.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
jrudydb's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jadams89's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail