Reviews with content warning for Violence - Open Water

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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

109 reviews

melstephens's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

3.75

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bek_p87's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Told in the second person, this short novel is lyrical and poetic and most definitely way too smart and cool for me. An honest and raw exploration of love, self, and being a Black man in the UK, some of the prose and ideas this book contains will haunt me.

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suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

i think that this book, as a benefit to the author, is one that i have yet to see quite like it in the 21st century. this tender love story deals so intimately with art, masculinity, and blackness in such a way that really questions human expression. this tender love story between two friends follows an almost episodic plot, with less of a timeline and more of an inner look into the main character's own life and how that changes when in the face of love. one thing that i thought was really powerful was the times in which the author spoke on masculinity and the construction of such when in a world that holds the black body in this strange position, one which constantly uses it at their disposal.

my critique of this story is the language. while i think it was certainly beautiful, it read like it was attempting to replicate baldwin's writing style to a t rather than trying to do its own thing. at times, i thought this made the language feel like it was trying too hard or was just too flowery without any real grounding. the second part is this:

i was not a fan of the ending. though i do like that they did not end up together, i thought that the recognition of him being seen for him through her eyes was not strong. i really hoped that this construction of his identity is one that reflects the modern world-- as an ongoing process that, though can be affirmed through others, is a personal thing. idk i just wish that the ending were a bit more personal to him rather than ending through her own thoughts.

all in all, its a fine text and worth the read if you want a nice black love story

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siebensommer's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

you'll learn that kindness is rarely enough, but equipped with a certain knowledge and awareness, it can be

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dannythestreet's review

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dark emotional reflective 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

That must be one of the most beautiful things I've ever read

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chichio's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

I CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW MUCH I LOVED THIS IT WAS PAINFUL AND POETIC AND RAW AND SO REAL THAT I FELT EVERY EMOTION OF OUR NARRATOR. I LOVED THE USE OF SECOND PERSON PRESENT TENSE—I DONT THINK IVE EVER READ ANYTHING EVEN REMOTELY LIKE THIS BEFORE.

This book is such a fantastic look into the Black British experience, namely of Black men and their lives under constant scrutiny. Rather than being a romance story that pushes the idea that “love conquers all,” this book presents an exploration of what it means to accept vulnerability and the strength it takes to finally reach a hand out across open water and ask for help.

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sashley98's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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ivulikkivulik's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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

4.5

Open Water was one of the most stunning books I have ever read. The prose felt like poetry, the exploration of race, masculinity, and love was extremely well done.
While this is a love story, it does have incredibly hard topics to read, such as police brutality, so keep that it mind when picking it up!
Ultimately, I look forward to returning to Open Water many times in my life, as well as seeing the future ahead of this talented author.

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bvrealis's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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