Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

7 reviews

fpcat99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Vomit

bmpicc's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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

3.0

This was my 3rd book by Kingsolver. It took me longer than expected, but I'm glad I didn't rush and risk missing something. Why then 3 stars? Simple. I enjoyed it, but 546 pages still seemed like a bit much. It is an interesting character study and I think whether you are religious or not, there is (or could be) a takeaway for each reader.

"As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer's long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn't touch me."

"There are Christians and then there are Christian."

"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes." 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Grief, Racism, Violence, Child death, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Slavery, War, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Religious bigotry, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Bullying

acresofclams's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Ableism, Animal death, Slavery, and Grief

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

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

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

I first read this twenty years ago and it has stayed with me as a powerful story of hubris and attendant woe on a personal and global level. I seem to have forgotten the depth of characterization and I responded to a couple of the main characters with disgust. I think this is a book that all Americans should read so we learn about our secret history. Great book but hard to read in an emotional sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Slavery, Torture, Abandonment, Animal death, Classism, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, War, Child death, Death, Genocide, and Mental illness