Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

44 reviews

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

caseyf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, War, Death, Racism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Sexism, Colonisation, and Misogyny

madelinekramer2021's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, War, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Genocide, Racial slurs, Vomit, Ableism, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Domestic abuse

courtmarquis's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Colonisation

Moderate: War, Child death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

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

tigerlark's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Phenomenal book! I found Reverend and Mrs. Price to be much like my own parents, and reading this was very healing in a lot of ways. Great discussions of racism, colonialism, and healing from trauma, among other important topics. Kingsolver's prose is beautiful, as usual!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, War, Racism, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Child death, Violence, and Colonisation

Moderate: Abandonment, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

emmaf___'s review against another edition

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

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

knenigans's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Child death

Moderate: Genocide, Violence, War, Toxic relationship, Racism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief