Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Moja znikająca połowa

I couldn't put it down! My only complaint is that it was an ambitious book; the author tried to cover so much. I wanted there to be a sequel so she could take her time to really delve into each character's story instead of skipping years or decades.

Content Warnings

abbyb23's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional tense 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? Yes

5.0

This is just such a beautiful book. I didn’t know about the trans rep before starting this book, but it’s so amazingly well done, especially as representation that lets a queer person be more than their identity. Bennett is truly an incredible author.

Content Warnings

midnightmarauder's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Even though The Vanishing Half is a work of fiction, a lot of the subject matter can overlap into issues many of us still face today: racism/colorism/featurism, identity issues, the overwhelming desire to become someone other than yourself, etc. This book covers in all in just under 400 pages.

Some of the things I loved include the insertion of a trans man in a time period where they didn't really exist, nor are they mentioned often in historical fiction (Reese quickly became one of my favorite characters in the story; he and Jude's love story was a beautiful thing to watch unfold), how colorism and racism can lead to such big consequences amongst the black community, and the nonlinear writing structure; a style that left me staying up, just to see what would happen next.

Some things I would've liked to know more about include Stella, Kennedy, and Blake's fates. Did Stella and Kennedy

go to Adele's funeral? I know that Jude was the one to call Kennedy and tell her that she died, but she wasn't mentioned ever again.

As for Stella,

she is last seen leaving Mallard after placing her wedding ring into Early's palm and telling him to "take care of her Mama." There is a part afterwards that shows Blake brushing off Stella's missing ring and telling her that he's going to replace it, but, that's all. Did they choose not to call Stella, or did Stella simply go back to make herself feel a little better for leaving her family, relished in their grief, only to disappear again and cut off all contact like before?

Lastly, Blake:

Did Stella ever come clean about her past, or did she come home and act as though nothing had happened? She couldn't leave behind the life that she had built for herself—the money, the marriage, the privilege—for a family she had known much longer than Blake. No, ma'am.

All in all, this book was one that was very hard to put down. All I can really say is wow. Brit Bennet is a marvelous writer, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

Content Warnings

mjones14's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective 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

1.75

This book sent me into a massive reading slump. It took me 4 months to finish and I nearly DNFed it.

HOWEVER, I can appreciate that it is beautifully written, it was just not the book I thought was or a book that naturally appeals to me.

Content Warnings

isleofwoman's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

islesbiyana's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

You can escape a town, but you cannot escape blood. Somehow, the Vignes twins believed themselves capable of both. / As they grew, they no longer seemed like one body split in two, but two bodies poured into one, each pulling it her own way.

➺ rating: 4 stars ★★★★☆
➺ trigger/content warnings: lynching, colorism, racism, domestic & child abuse, sexual assault, transphobia, racial slurs
➺ short RTC

She hadn’t realized how long it takes to become somebody else, or how lonely it can be living in a world not meant for yo

Content Warnings

corriejn's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

4.5

Mid-century story of several generations, the plot centering around identical twin teen girls leaving their small, isolated southern town of fair-skinned Black residents and how they carve out their own paths from there (one deciding to pass as white). Multiple generations of the family play a role as major characters, and it includes main themes of race/racism, colorism, family/relationships, and gender.

Content Warnings

More...