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matmatmatty's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.
This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.
This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.
All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)
Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.
Graphic: Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage
lucyhicks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Homophobia
ellxnmcgrxth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Addiction, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Suicide
emilia___'s review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, and Miscarriage
Minor: Misogyny
brittcoxon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
By the end of the book I felt I knew all our characters so well, their lives, influences and ambitions.
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Racism, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
isabellamarg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think my favorite part of this novel was seeing the characters all come together in the same place in the final chapter creating a full-circle moment for the reader where we see people forgive others and other's misgivings. The epilogue in this novel was also a really sweet treat for the reader with lost connections being found (no spoilers here).
I loved how each section of the novel was broken down into a trio of characters that were somehow related or knew each other. There were a lot of mom and daughter plot lines as well as teachers, siblings, friends, etc. The punctuation and capitalization of the writing honestly did not bother me. I thought it created a poetic flow to the writing that I almost preferred for this type of storytelling. Overall, masterfully written and wonderful book that spans generations of black women and their families. The cohesive exploration of friendship and love while also highlighting injustice in our world made me think deeply about how we carry ourselves through this world.
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Minor: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction
heather667's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Abandonment, Biphobia, Bullying, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Colonisation
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Misogyny, Rape, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Death, and Domestic abuse
ratjoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child death, Grief, Sexism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Death, Misogyny, Classism, Racism, Pregnancy, Rape, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Dysphoria
Minor: Alcoholism and Deadnaming
naniaunruh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I understand that this book can have value for Black British women who can feel seen and represented here but i feel like this could have been achieved and better by getting a diverse group of Black British female and trans authors together to write stories instead of having one person to try and do it all.
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Incest, Classism, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Child abuse, Racism, and Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia and Child death