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books_tea_blanket's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really liked a lot of the language the author used to describe the characters and their relationships. You could see their motivations for the decisions they made, and how drastically different their lives became as a result of their choices. The primary theme of the novel is identity, and the author wrestled with how identity is formed, how it’s expressed, and how it makes you feel. Throughout the book there’s contrasts of dark and light, white and black, poor and rich, love and lies, and more broad themes of life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
Book has a lovable trans character and has scenes involving queer characters in the 1960s-80srachelblair's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
aniyapapaya10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Brit really did her thing with this book! I admired the commentary around colorism, sexuality, and family dynamics. All of which can be difficult for black women/people to find for themselves and I think this book really shows examples of that struggle from different perspectives. My favorite character was Jude, the daughter of Desiree Vignes. I see Jude as the beacon of hope for black women everywhere because she was labeled as unlovable from a you g age, but she found a love so strong not even distance could stop it. Really a beautiful read. The only thing I wish for is a more detailed or eventful end, but the end also feels just right.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
modryzamek's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
dandan10's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Murder
accidentalfolklore's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25 Stars: Exceptional - A truly exceptional book that deserves to be celebrated for its originality, depth, and impact. It pushes the boundaries of storytelling and challenges readers to think deeply about the world around them. It’s a must-read for anyone who appreciates the power of literature to inspire, educate, and entertain.
Great book that had me invested in the story and characters. The ending is a little flat as others have mentioned. That’s because this story is more about the characters and how people grow over time. Thing about something like the Color Purple, Fried Green Tomatoes, Where the Crawdads Sing. I get the same vibe from those books where you have a rich world and characters who are enveloped in it with feeling separate from it. I loved the addition of an LGBTQ+ character. Im on the spectrum but a different one. I felt it was done very authentically but I’ll let people who identify in that category speak on how well it was portrayed. I’m being vague only for spoiler purposes since I wasn’t expecting it but loved how it was introduced and evolved with story progression.
Great book that had me invested in the story and characters. The ending is a little flat as others have mentioned. That’s because this story is more about the characters and how people grow over time. Thing about something like the Color Purple, Fried Green Tomatoes, Where the Crawdads Sing. I get the same vibe from those books where you have a rich world and characters who are enveloped in it with feeling separate from it. I loved the addition of an LGBTQ+ character. Im on the spectrum but a different one. I felt it was done very authentically but I’ll let people who identify in that category speak on how well it was portrayed. I’m being vague only for spoiler purposes since I wasn’t expecting it but loved how it was introduced and evolved with story progression.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria
samanthaleereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Medical content
ljzsreadsandreviews's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
This was an incredible read. I found the historical components fascinating and intriguing to think about. So much of our history is horrible and this story not only highlights old problems but shows us how others overcame certain struggles. There are a lot of very important topics in this one but please be aware of maybe some sensitive subjects to some readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Sexism
bmpicc's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.5
One decision and... everything changes. This book is marketed to us as a novel about "passing". I read a novel about "identity". Identity of self. Identity of family. My 3.5 star rating is because too many stories were happening and they each felt a bit incomplete.
Is it about Desiree & Stella? Stella & Kennedy? Kennedy & Jude? Jude & Reese? And what about Desiree & Early? Let us not forget the family matriarch and her battle with Alzheimer's. The twins were lost in the background.
I appreciate the important issues the author presented to the reader and you know I love a generational family saga, but I wish it had been shared through the twins perspectives and not their children. I wanted to know more about the twins and how they felt. About each other, their relationship, their daughters and their daughters choices.
“The only difference between lying and acting was whether your audience was in on it, but it was all a performance just the same.”
"At least Peg stood for something, fought for something. She went to war with the university over everything: paid maternity leave, sexist faculty hiring, and exploitation of adjunct labor. She argued about these things even though she had no children and had already secured tenure - she argued even though her advocating wouldn't benefit her at all. It baffled Stella, protesting out of a sense of duty, or maybe even amusement."
Is it about Desiree & Stella? Stella & Kennedy? Kennedy & Jude? Jude & Reese? And what about Desiree & Early? Let us not forget the family matriarch and her battle with Alzheimer's. The twins were lost in the background.
I appreciate the important issues the author presented to the reader and you know I love a generational family saga, but I wish it had been shared through the twins perspectives and not their children. I wanted to know more about the twins and how they felt. About each other, their relationship, their daughters and their daughters choices.
“The only difference between lying and acting was whether your audience was in on it, but it was all a performance just the same.”
"At least Peg stood for something, fought for something. She went to war with the university over everything: paid maternity leave, sexist faculty hiring, and exploitation of adjunct labor. She argued about these things even though she had no children and had already secured tenure - she argued even though her advocating wouldn't benefit her at all. It baffled Stella, protesting out of a sense of duty, or maybe even amusement."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent
carly_the_librarian's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism