Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

9 reviews

angelofthetardis's review against another edition

This was a recommendation from a work colleague back in 2022, but it's only just reached the top of my TBR pile. We follow the four daughters of Baptist minister Nathan Price as they are uprooted from their every day existence in 1960s America and deposited in the Belgian Congo on the eve of its independence to support their father in his mission to preach the word of God. 

While I think the writing is very good, the style severely lets the story down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the daughters; one of whom is very young, another of whom is unable to speak and whose brain likes to process and interpret things backwards. It therefore feels like you're reading extracts from four diaries and trying to piece together the wider story from snippets of information the girls include. So as you can imagine, you don't actually get a lot of detail about the wider goings on; everything each girl says has themself at the centre of things. In some places, it almost reads like gibberish. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into the structure and the characters, but I just couldn't figure out what the story was meant to be about or why I was meant to care.

It also didn't help that none of the characters appealed to me. I got frustrated with the typical selfish teen behaviour of the eldest, the submissive mother and the idiocy and obstinacy of the father. Honestly, I think the only character that had even a modicum of appeal was Leah. 

The attitudes of the characters reflect the period setting, so there is a lot of dismissal of Congolese culture as 'pagan' or 'idolatrous' compared to the zenith that is Christianity, a strong thread of xenophobia and a fair smattering of sexism and misogyny. And yet the author has managed to illustrate how moronic these attitudes are through the complete lack of understanding Nathan has for his surroundings. This was very cleverly done, but nevertheless does make for quite uncomfortable reading in many places. 

It was certainly worth a try, but this was just too far outside my comfort zone to appeal.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Ableism, Misogyny, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

sylviet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and War

Moderate: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Child death, Gore, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Vomit, Cursing, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury

taylorlanxon's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: War, Murder, Violence, Death, Torture, Animal death, Child death, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Racism, and Blood

elizapease's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-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

Really a masterpiece. This book transfixed me from beginning to end. I felt the entire time as though I was in the Congo with the Price family, enduring their fathers abuse, their mothers neglect, and sisterly in-fighting. Kingsolver’s use of prose is phenomenal. Each character is rich and dynamic. They feel SO real. Kingsolver masterfully develops the Price family throughout the novel, creating an epic that spans decades, continents, and planes of existence.

 I was especially impressed by how ahead of its time this book was - considering it was written in the 80’s, it’s commentary on capitalism, nationalism, communism, and the treatment of Africa by the United States is quite searing and insightful. Kingsolver writes with such incredible empathy about people from all walks of life. 

Be warned: this is not an easy read, in content or difficulty. But it is so so worth it.  Breathtaking. This book will stick with me forever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Death

thebearnest's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Colonisation, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death of parent, Violence, Animal death, Child death, Ableism, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, Cannibalism, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Torture

silverrose187's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Ableism, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Classism, Xenophobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Chronic illness, and Pregnancy

mollyec's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Ableism

sjanke2's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Ableism, Abandonment, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence