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storykath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
While much of the subject matter in this book was heavy, it never felt like a burden to read. Gifty's narration, both as a child and as an adult, is engaging, raw, and immersive. Her inner world is complex, flawed, and wholly believable, and there is similar nuanced characterization given to all the other characters in Gifty's life. The world of the story, including Gifty's neuroscience lab, Ghanaian culture, and evangelical Christianity, are all described in fascinating detail, and are just as well thought-out as the characters.
I found the alternating timeline to be refreshing and ideal for the pacing of the book. Key childhood moments occurred in conjunction with relevant parallels in Gifty's adult life. The switches also provided some relief and variety when one storyline would get particularly dark. At some points, the switches weren't perfectly chronological, and it would be briefly unclear what time period we were in, but this was a minor inconvenience at most.
Altogether, the stunning care and attention to detail in Transcendent Kingdom made it an unforgettable read, at times relatable, at times eye-opening, and always heart-wrenchingly real.
Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Self harm, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Xenophobia
livdelrosso's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Death, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
samarakroeger's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Sexism
gabb_reads'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: Suicide attempt, Grief, Addiction, Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent
casey_sunshine'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Excrement
Minor: Death of parent
melodyofavonlea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Religious bigotry
meggs1005's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, and Racism
meemawreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
This is not a bad book, I just thought I’d connect with it and it was a miss for me. The narrator, Gifty, is the American-raised daughter of Ghanaian immigrants. After a traumatic and religious childhood, she goes into neuroscience and has to grapple with how science challenges her faith and intersects with the substance abuse and depression that has plagued her family.
I didn’t necessarily NOT enjoy this book, I just got bored. Most of the plot happens in the flashbacks to her past and is revealed in journal entries. It made stretches of the book feel like nothing was happening, like the author was just holding forth on philosophy for a few paragraphs. We don’t spend much time with Gifty in which she isn’t thinking about her research, her past, or her mother, so things like her romantic interest in the present seem to come out of nowhere.
I think I would connect with this more if I had experiences closer to the pretty specific ones of the protagonist. This book is resonating with a lot of people if the hype any indicator, so I have a feeling my opinion will be an unpopular one. And that’s okay 🥔🥔/🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔
PS, I’m officially 2/2 on not enjoying Jenna Bush’s books, OPE.
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Religious bigotry
ekua33'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
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Religious bigotry
fromstephspages'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? Yes
5.0
Find me on IG @bookrecswithsteph
Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, and Vomit