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bandysbooks's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is a masterwork in historical fiction. It is inspired by a true story, but is a fictionalized account. Johnson does such a phenomenal job of making her characters real and creating a story that will haunt readers well after they put the book down. Some of that is due to the horrific scenes she creates to instill in the reader the unflinching truth about the inhumanity of slavery and some of that is due to the main character, Pheby, who makes impossible choice after impossible choice.
One thing in particular that takes a lot of skill in writing about brutality like slavery is finding the balance between creating horrific scenes that show the experiences of the victims and not making it so brutal that your readers stop reading. While this story definitely has some extraordinarily difficult scenes and Johnson is very detailed in her writing, I did feel that the brutal scenes she wrote about had a specific purpose both within the story and in the larger picture of remembering the atrocity that was slavery. It was brutal, but not gratuitous.
And I found myself so relentlessly rooting for Pheby. Every time you wonder how she could ever possibly keep going, she finds ways to endure. She is such a tough, strong, and eventually selfless character who struggles with the morality of what she has to do daily to survive. In the bleakest parts of this book, I kept reading because I just had to know what happened to Pheby in the end.
All in all, this is a well-written historical fiction about some of the unknown bits of slavery. It's about how women specifically were victimized and the ways that they overcame and continued to survive. I would definitely recommend reading the trigger warnings on this book before reading, but I unequivocally would recommend reading this too.
Trigger Warnings: Rape, Sexual Assault, Forced Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Torture, Whipping, Mutilation, Starvation, Sexual Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Severe Injury, Illness, Death, Infanticide, Slavery, Public Humiliation
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Sexual assault, Classism, Confinement, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, Gore, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
haley49's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I would recommend this story to anyone looking for a first hand fictional account of a complex part of history. However, check trigger warnings and make sure you are mentally well enough for the heavy themes.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Child death, Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion, Religious bigotry, Ableism, and War
peachani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Slavery, Vomit, Child death, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, Gore, Grief, Racism, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Excrement, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual content, War, and Mental illness
loripopp's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Slavery, Excrement, Death of parent, Classism, Vomit, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Confinement, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Child death
docsusan's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Rape, Vomit, Violence, Body horror, Blood, and Death
jewelsbooks2531's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Abortion, Death, Blood, and Child abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Rape, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, and Violence
tmickey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Child death, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Racism, Rape, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy, Grief, Vomit, Excrement, and Blood
Minor: War and Adult/minor relationship
shereadytoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
sarahmcg's review
- 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
Despite this being a work of fiction, the author Sadeqa Johnson noted that she pulled inspiration from a true story and heavily researched the history that she based the book off of. This book was often difficult to read - please consider the content warnings prior to picking up this book.
Graphic: Rape, Miscarriage, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Torture, Pregnancy, Vomit, Sexual content, and Excrement
liblibby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Rape, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault