Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

21 reviews

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

SYNOPSIS

• It is Memorial Day 1958 in Black Earth County in Jewel, Minnesota. Jimmy Quinn, a wealthy landowner, is found dead in the Alabaster River with a shotgun wound. 
• Sheriff Brody Dern is investigating. Before an autopsy is done, the town’s residents are already assuming the Quinn was killed by Noah Bluestone, a local Dakota Sioux Indian. Noah is also married to Kyoko, a Ngasaki native.

MY THOUGHTS

• This is my first novel by Krueger, and I hope to read more by him. He’s very talented. 
• There are a lot of characters, and I did find it hard to keep them all straight in the first half of the book.
• Many tough topics are discussed in this book. I would recommend checking out trigger warnings.
• Krueger shows the strong prejudice and racism against Noah & Kyoko, as well as the hatred among the community from WWII against Asians.
• This is a slow burn with complex characters & dysfunctional families. Historical fiction. Starts maybe a little slowly, but picks up about a third of the way.
• Also, I loved the addition of Hector and Fuji 🐶🐶

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️historical fiction. complex characters + dysfunctional families. check out trigger warnings, as this covers some tough subjects.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Death, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, War, and Cursing

Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Infertility, Vomit, and Terminal illness

bameadors18's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Rape, Domestic abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Incest, Violence, Gun violence, War, and Racial slurs

n_degeorgia's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, War, and Rape

debhawkins's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Rape, and Racial slurs

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.25

I should have loved this book.  And according to Goodreads, many people have.  This book has everything I look for in a literary mystery - compelling themes, interesting characters, dilemmas with no easy solution, etc.  However, I found myself feeling like reading it was a chore.  I can't explain it, and I expect most people to enjoy it.  However, I won't be reading more from this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Confinement, Alcoholism, Bullying, Colonisation, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Medical content, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

brittonmc1221's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Terminal illness, War, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

noladawnreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Incest, Rape, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, and Chronic illness

marbelousreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

This book was an unexpected surprise. It was deeply reflective and had a nuanced main characters who were flawed and complicated. I am so glad I read it and I look forward to moderating a conversation with the author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, War, Rape, Murder, Racism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, and Pedophilia

mboard's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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

4.0

A slow burn about a small town murder full of complex characters each facing their own unique demons. 

The story starts with Jimmy Quinn, lucrative farmer in a small town Minnesota with lots of enemies, found dead in the Alabaster river. As the hunt for the cause of death and the possibility of a murder, we’re introduced to various characters that live in town such as the owner of the town’s most popular restaurant, the Creasy hoard of miscreants, the small police force, and Quinn’s family.

I loved all of the characters and felt each one had a unique history with the town as well as a not so easy past. Although Brody Dern, the town sherif, is seen as our main character, I felt the strongest part of the novel was how well woven the stories and actions of all 10-15 characters we get an intimate look at. I also loved the discussion of racism specifically towards Japanese or Native Americans and how those sentiments can be shaped by shared events such as WWII or say a local murder. The mystery itself was a bit lackluster and slow paced to the point where I didn’t care so much about what happened to Jimmy Quinn as much as what was happening in town. 

Krueger’s writing was beautiful and every character felt distinct and irreplaceable in Jewel, MN. I would recommend picking this up if you want to get wrapped up in town full of people trying to overcome their own demons and downfalls.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Racism

Minor: Racial slurs and War

gretel7's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I received this from Netgalley.com. 

WKK always delivers, another great story although a bit more cutting edge than some of his other books.  The nuances of post WW2 set in small town Minnesota with its already deeply instilled bias is especially poignant.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Murder, and Hate crime