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melissa_h'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
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexism, Slavery, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Murder, Trafficking, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, and Child death
lcg527's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, Rape, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Slavery, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Blood, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Grief
kendramekalle'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? N/A
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Murder, Child abuse, Slavery, Sexual assault, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, and Rape
zviews11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Sexual violence, Child death, Excrement, Slavery, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Grief, Confinement, and Classism
sleeson'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? Yes
5.0
Sadeqa Johnson's characterization for the role of each person is gracefully and carefully thought out. Her story will have you latching on to each moment Pheby's journey.
Our hero Pheby is unquestionably the strongest figure in the novel. The sacrifices she makes for everyone she meets, is due to her unconditional love for others. Strong language and Graphic sexual content alluded.
Graphic: Abortion, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Excrement, Grief, Sexual assault, Vomit, Child death, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Classism, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Rape
nrogers_1030'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: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Trafficking, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Confinement, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, Excrement, Infidelity, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
ems_rxlibrary'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
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Confinement
maurareads13's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Whew. It’s truly hard to even write a synopsis of this book, because stating the bare facts of the story just don’t explain the many intricacies involved. While Pheby truly did live a better life than other slaves, she was still owned, even as a “wife.” She was whipped & assaulted, had no true personal freedom. I honestly can’t imagine the guilt & pain as she watched her people be beaten and sold every day, while at the same time being thankful she and her children didn’t have to live that same life.
I highly recommend reading this book. It brings a different perspective to this time in our nation’s history. I know my review hasn’t done it justice, I’m just having a hard time adequately expressing my thought and emotions. This book can absolutely speak for itself, and Ms Johnson did a fantastic job of teaching & teaching me as a reader. Yellow Wife will stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault and Miscarriage
kibbles15's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Vomit, Rape, Excrement, Slavery, Torture, Sexual content, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Child death, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Intense detail about the horrors of slavery and the experiences of a female slave.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