Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

45 reviews

phvntomstvrs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark slow-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

3.75

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ourlittlelibaryt's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Es war ein unglaublich schwer zu lesendes Buch. Obwohl mich die Geschichte interesiert hat musste ich mich häufig durch die Seiten zwingen. Die Themen und Story sind sehr interessant können es aber nicht alleine aufrecht halten. Am besten fand ich die Kurzgeschichten von Wututu und Agasu, Essie und Salim und des Dschinn. Noch anzumerken ist das viele gerede über Titten, Klöten und stahlharte Erektionen. Aight I guess

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gemstonejasper's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I finally got around to reading this after it was recommended to me by my older sister. It was good. I enjoyed it. It's a big book, so I used it to try and work through my big book fear. I enjoyed the variety of gods that the book showed. I didn't always know which god it was talking about, but that's more so due to my lack of knowledge about these things. But there were a lot of interesting gods that I now want to learn more about. The audiobook was good. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are into this kind of thing. But it's pretty slow at times, so it's not for everyone.

For me, this book seemed almost like a love letter to the US. The main character travels around (even coming to my city at one point and mentioning a tiny town just minutes from where I grew up). It showed the absolute majesty and beauty of America. But it still acknowledges the horrors, both past and present that America has done. The themes that this book explores are interesting. Neil Gaiman is a master in storytelling.

I wouldn't really call the ending "satisfying," but I don't think that was kind of the point, so I'm not going to hold it against the book.

Content warning that doesn't necessarily fit into any of the listed categories:

The main character, at one point, does have sex with a cat god, which some people may find strange. That scene made me a little uncomfortable.

Content Warnings

saturdayreaderinpink's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

3.5

General Thoughts

This was fantastic in many, many ways. Gaiman writes with mysterious authority composed of mysticism and absurd amounts of ultra-specific detail that makes his story feel alive. All plot points wrap up satisfyingly. The one reservation I have is the themes of race in American Gods. Most of it felt respectful to me (a white girl who’s knowledge of the cultures covered is limited), but some of the descriptions of skin color and

the ending part where the buffalo is the land and tells Shadow that the gods and people who brought them are there because they suit the land

, would not surprise me if critiqued. This book kept me guessing and some plot twists swept me away. Gaiman is, again, an excellent writer. American Gods is worth the read.

Favorite Quotes

“Something feels weird,” he told Laura. That wasn’t the first thing he said to her. The first thing was “I love you,” because it’s a good thing to say if you can mean it, and Shadow did.

Every hour wounds. The last one kills.—OLD SAYING

And finally, producing a half-rueful grin, he realized that most of all he wanted everything to be normal. He wanted never to have gone to prison, for Laura to still be alive, for none of this ever to have happened. “I’m afraid that’s not exactly an option, m’boy,” he thought to himself, in Wednesday’s gruff voice, and he nodded agreement. Not an option. You burned your bridges. So keep walking. Do your own time…

No man, proclaimed Donne, is an Island, and he was wrong.

She turns to pretty Marie and sees herself through Marie’s eyes, a black-skinned old woman, her face lined, her bony arm hanging limply by her side, her eyes the eyes of one who has seen her children fight in the trough for food from the dogs. She saw herself, and she knew then for the first time the revulsion and the fear the younger woman had for her.

Whiskey Jack reached out a hand the color of the red clay, and he touched Shadow’s face, gently. His irises were light brown banded with dark brown, and in that face those eyes seemed luminous. “Eyah,” he said. “It’s true. If you hunt the thunderbird you could bring your woman back. But she belongs to the wolf, in the dead places, not walking the land.” “How do you know?” asked Shadow. Whiskey Jack’s lips did not move. “What did the Buffalo tell you?” “To believe.” “Good advice. Are you going to follow it?” “Kind of. I guess.” They were talking without words, without mouths, without sound. Shadow wondered if, for the other two men in the room, they were standing, unmoving, for a heartbeat or for a fraction of a heartbeat. “When you find your tribe, come back and see me,” said Whiskey Jack. “I can help.” “I shall.”

The madman nodded. “Horus,” he said. “I am the falcon of the morning, the hawk of the afternoon. I am the sun. As you are the sun. And I know the true name of Ra. My mother told me.” “That’s great,” said Shadow, politely.

“I feed on death that is dedicated to me,” said Wednesday. “Like my death on the tree,” said Shadow. “That,” said Wednesday, “was special.”

Content Warnings

multigrainhoops146's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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ladydamonayde's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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shoshin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

I enjoy Gaiman's stories most of the time, but misogyny slips out here and there when he's trying to be gritty. Ruins my enjoyment. I catch myself wishing a woman had written them instead.

I also find the "troubles" bit in the middle difficult to understand--doesn't seem to further Odin's/Loki's purposes that are central to the story. No real reason to kill some of the gods who were killed. If there had been some established enmity between them and Odin or Loki, sure, but I didn't see anything.

Encapsulating both these complaints: Balquis' character seems to exist completely for proposes that don't further the narrative: adding a sex(ist) scene and dying during the "troubles" part. I could be convinced there's narrative value there, but I'm not seeing it at the moment.

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