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Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Mädchen, Frau etc. by Bernardine Evaristo

54 reviews

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Anthology of loosely connected stories about black mostly queer women in Britain. Presenting the perspectives of  characters who know each other causes you to see characters in different lights, makes them complex humans, and are able to see none have nefarious intent when in another's story, they are simply trying their best with the experiences that shaped them and the social constraints they were taught which now conflict with the everlong march of progress.

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’ll write down more thoughts later because I need to sit with this one for a bit but WOW!!! I really can’t put into words right now just how much I loved this book. The writing, the brilliant character studies, the exploration of nuanced topics over multiple generations… It reminded me of the magic I felt when discovering great playwrights in my school years and being awed by another persons ability to understand the fundamental truths of being human.

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emotional funny hopeful 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: Complicated

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

The book has a great emotional swell to it - you'll find yourself crying at the end 

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challenging reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I think it was really beautifully written, and the way the author brought in so many different perspectives and stories into the same narrative was really powerful. If anything could be improved, I felt like we didn't get a chance to really know and connect with each of the characters since they were only one chapter in length

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This is not a one star like many (other white) reviewers whining about the lack of punctuation. It’s the classism, ableism, and horrific transphobia woven into the novel. Whilst one day I will probably write a full review, I will note one example. I find it particularly problematic for a straight (or bisexual) author to make her lesbian characters mouthpieces for TERF views, and for one to claim trans inclusion is something the new generation is reshaping feminism to include, when many of those who were on the trans rights side of the 2nd wave feminism schism were Black women including Black lesbians. At the very least, trans rights as a feminist issue should not be a revelatory concept to two women who were supposedly so ingrained in radical politics. It shows a real lack of interest in making these tokenistic diverse characters feel real. 

Don’t get me started on the treatment of the non-binary character (their inclusion at all as the only non-woman in the ‘girl woman other’ POV trios feels deeply transphobic) and using their trans woman partner as a mouthpiece for additional transphobic views. Or the caricature of a gen z radicalised girl my age as insufferable and weaponising identity to get her own way, yet somehow missed her tumblr education on transness. It’s a minor aside to characterise her in that way, but to present anyone as lying about disability to access better accommodation is so harmful and contributes to disgusting rhetoric around disabled people as frauds. 

To the blurb that says that ‘this is Britain as it is now,’ you couldn’t be more wrong. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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adventurous emotional informative reflective
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Geniaal geschreven.
Twaalf karakters die zo verschillen van elkaar en zo tot leven komen op het papier. Het is echt ontzettend knap. Hoe de schrijfster zich kan inleven in haar karakters en hoe ze allemaal anders denken en doen. Een van de beste karakter boeken die ik tot nu toe heb gelezen.
Zo’n mooi portret van verschillende generaties en perspectieven in de samenleving in Engeland. 
Oh en bizarre plottwisten in de verhalen. Hoe verzint ze het! 
Geweldig boek, geweldige schrijfster.
Note: lees even de content warnings van tevoren!!

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