Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

70 reviews

jodean's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Incest, Infertility, and Miscarriage

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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: Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Incest, Vomit, Antisemitism, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Mention of r slur, dismemberment.

alicelalicon's review against another edition

challenging tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

Going into this, I knew to expect time travel between present-day (at publication - late 1970s) and the antebellum South, but I did not expect that Kindred would ultimately be more character study than time travel/sci fi - and now I understand why it is such a memorable and timeless read for the genre. For a book under 300 pages that leans heavily on dialogue, this drives a nuanced, complicated, and deeply disturbing portrayal of the relationship between a Black woman living in the 1970s and her white (slave-holding) ancestor living in the early 19th century. The world-building is secondary here - we don't ever understand how this is happening, only why, as Dana is repeatedly pulled back in time to save Rufus's life and ensure the continuation of her family line. The abruptness of the story's start is mirrored again in its conclusion, and we are left reeling from the slow-building horror of a white boy who grows into a white man at a time when he is afforded every privilege of power and security. 

Butler consistently sows doubt in the reader: Is Dana's husband, Kevin, good enough to her, will he protect her, will he prioritize himself? Is Dana growing attached to Rufus, does she feel sorry for him, does she forgive him for his cruelty because she sees how he was raised? Do we become acclimated as Dana and Kevin do, do the horrors become loss horrible through exposure, do we become numb to it? What are we willing to sacrifice to save ourselves, a person we love, or a family member? Butler resists answering any of these questions, instead giving characters room to orbit around each other as they make their own decisions and shape their own histories. 

This is a challenging and graphic read, but a fast-paced one that evidences Butler's place in the sci-fi/fantasy canon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Slurs for disabled people are used (this was written and published in the 1970s and today's readers should be aware that these instances will go unchallenged on page). Fatphobia also goes unchallenged on page in the present-day (1970s) storyline.

lay_kone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Alcohol

hamstringy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Octavia E. Butler has always been someone I said I should read, and boy is there a reason. This was a thoughtful and harrowing book all the way through. The characters have so much story to them, and the sci-fi/spec fic becomes more and more powerful as time passes.
I read Rick Riordan’s goodreads review and I think it sums the greatness of the book up: 

We may be lulled into the feeling that we have advanced, that we have made progress as a society. But at any moment, we may be yanked back into the past and reminded of where we came from. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit

aksmith92's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Wow, this book may be relatively on the short side but it packed a huge punch. Kindred is about Dana, a woman living in the "modern" 1970s who somehow travels through time in the 1800s to save a child called Rufus. We are introduced to the characters in this novel, knowing little about how this time-traveling works or why it is happening to Dana, although around page 20, we begin to gather some pieces. 

When all is said and done, this book may be sci-fi/fantasy (I believe Butler noted that she would call it "grim fantasy" in an interview since there was nothing scientific about it), but it's more real than we would like it to be. It's about race and an incredibly dark time in American history. Butler manages to intersect historical records and research with the time-traveling trope in a fascinating and beautiful (but, as most books about this time, horrible) way. It is incredibly well-written and emotional. It pained me to read this, but it was so important to read it at the same time. 

As a note, Butler has decided to forgo a lot of explanation around this somewhat science fiction novel and has instead relied on metaphor and allegory during the more "fantastical" times of the novel. We don't get intense descriptions of the time travel or the "science" behind it - we just know it happens and its impacts. This is no spoiler and won't take away from the story, but those who are itching for more detail may find themselves frustrated. But, for a book of this caliber, I don't think it was at all needed.

I loved it and yet hated it so much because America at this time was awful. I had all the feels reading this book, but I thought it was incredibly well done. I'm sure excited to read more of Octavia Butler's stuff in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

racheldallaire's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This was incredible and every time I had to stop reading, it stayed in my mind until I could get back to it. Butler's unique way of presenting slavery through the eyes of a modern woman was amazing-clever, and so well-written. I grew to love Dana and Kevin. Rufus, Alice, and all the others were so well developed and I started to feel as if I knew them. This book is heartbreaking and honest about chattel slavery and the many, many abuses it allowed and even encouraged. Even so, it's an important book and one I believe you should make time for. I am coming away from it freshly horrified at our nation's history, pained at how little has changed, and introspective about what I can and need to do to change things for the future. I am also coming away with an incredible amount of respect and awe for Butler's writing-I cannot wait to read more of her books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol