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michelle_my_belle'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Domestic abuse, Death, Rape, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicide attempt, Grief, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Racism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexism, Torture, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Drug use
erebus53'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? It's complicated
5.0
This is a tale of survival. Dana finds herself dislocated from her time and place and landing in the early 1800s in the middle of emergency. At first she saves a small boy from drowning, and then later she stops a fire. As she follows the pattern she realises that she has a connection to a young man who has very bad luck and who she continually has to save from his misadventures.
First hand, she finds out how Black and White people are divided in status and role, and how those divisions are brutally enforced. She hopes that by befriending this small child she may be able to stop him from developing into the same sort of man as his brutal, plantation-owner father.
In the same vein as Time Traveler's Wife (a book published 24 years after it)... hmm, ok I'm going there. *Incredible Tangent Person! go!* Time Traveler's Wife was interpreted for screen 6 years after its publication and Kindred, a book that also deals with slipping through time involuntarily, was adapted for screen 43 years after its publication in 1979. OK, one of those books was about a man who met the woman he eventually married when she was a child and who develops a relationship with her in chronologically asynchronous order, and the other was about a Black woman coming to understand her family's history, slavery and the brutality of oppression, by rescuing her White, several times great grandfather from death.. so I guess it's more about whether or not people want to discuss Grooming, or Inter-Racial marriage and the brutality of slavery... but why did we have to wait so long before that was a thing?
Kindred is a thoroughly compelling read and I seriously raced through the book, not wanting to put it down. The relationships are rich and messy, and offer a convincing look at what happens when we care about people despite their faults. It is a story of survival, and through Dana we are allowed a glimpse of the real life, love, fear, and survival that was endured by those living and working plantations.
Graphic: Infidelity, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
sandralaurentino'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Slavery, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Blood, Hate crime, Violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Rape, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Death
tlycomfort's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Rape, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Body horror
ewwniamh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Rape, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Racism, Racial slurs, Blood, Gore, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, and Chronic illness
yourpal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Vomit, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Abandonment, Violence, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Death, Child death, and Child abuse
lpendergran'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Blood, Rape, Suicide attempt, Racism, and Murder
booksjessreads'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
One message of the novel that was very reflective, which is noted by the characters themselves, is how quickly people can adapt to societal attitudes. Transporting back to the slave trade in 1815 meant that Dana had to adapt to living as an enslaved woman and one message that is really dominant is the idea that it is easy to slip into those societal norms, especially in a life-or-death situation. The dialogue was written so honestly here, and I felt that frustration alongside Dana.
This book does have some hard-hitting and raw descriptions of slavery, so please read the trigger warnings. However, if you can stomach gore/slavery etc., then this is an essential read. I think Butler's prose is blunt and honest which alludes to just some of the horror of the time. It is purposefully uncomfortable to read but Butler creates such a strong and absorbing atmosphere.
One criticism I do have is mainly about the structure of the book, although I can absolutely see why it has been written this way. The chapters were very long, and split into smaller parts. Each chapter reflects a specific part of Dana's time travel and so it is understandable that the structure follows closely to Dana's experience. I did find it harder to keep going at times because of this, but the story was so engaging it didn't put me off.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Racism, Racial slurs, Vomit, Self harm, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
whatcassiedid'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Medical content
iona_kai'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Racism, and Physical abuse