Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko

10 reviews

jadejade's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Fascinating read, I actually cried at the end of this one. I was worried I might get lost with the time jumps and large cast but I was able to follow fine, so props to the author!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Racism, Death, Child death, and Animal death

Minor: Genocide, Rape, Death of parent, Addiction, and Confinement

treesofreverie's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Slavery, Medical content, Genocide, Colonisation, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Gore, Mental illness, Child death, Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape, Addiction, Torture, and Religious bigotry

jamesjoyc's review

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Racism

bejf's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Slavery, Police brutality, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Genocide, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Grief, and Colonisation

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

4.5

 

Edenglassie is a Brisbane based novel told in two timelines, one in the 1850s and one contemporary which came together beautifully and effectively. I loved the beauty of Mulanyin and Nita’s love story, but also enjoyed the very different and decidedly spikier vibes that characterised the relationship between Johnny and Winona. Granny Eddie was such a fantastic character. I always love reading about vibrant older characters whose knowledge and wisdom is valued by those around them. This is a book that highlights some instances of brutal injustice and cruelty from colonial times and shows how they still resonate today. Yet somehow Lucashenko manages to make the story funny as hell in places, without being disrespectful or downplaying past tragedies. I especially enjoyed the way she explored what makes someone Aboriginal, and showcased the tensions between those who have always known their aboriginal status and have grown up steeped in the knowledge and culture, and those who have only discovered their aboriginal blood and have no cultural knowledge or understanding. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Colonisation, and Racism

heather_harrison's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? No

4.25

denglassie sits between two timelines in Brisbane (Edenglassie) - modern day with granny Eddie and her outspoken grand daughter Winona, and Mulanyin in 1850s. 

While the characters were all unflinching honest, at times they could be a bit grating. 

From the beginning I was drawn to Edie & Winona’s story in the modern times, by the end I was desperate to hear more about Mulanyin, Eddie and their budding family. 

“The land here has its own law. They think that only their British law exists, or the only law that matters in the eyes of God” 

“If a clan must constantly defend their land, then they are effectively always at law. 

“The country holds no Dreaming to keep them at home”  

“We bring people in. We bring our mob home” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Genocide, War, and Grief

lauren_mansfield0201's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Genocide, Sexual harassment, Violence, Slavery, Colonisation, Hate crime, Medical content, and Racism

georgiarybanks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Genocide

nellem's review

challenging informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

 I want this book read by everyone in south-east Queensland for the bicentenary of Brisbane. It explains indigenous culture in a way I've never seen before. I have tears in my eyes. Mulanyin is a hero of his people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, and Genocide

Moderate: Colonisation, Death, and Cultural appropriation

bookb1itch's review

adventurous challenging funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

I received a gratis copy of this book from Better Reading, to preview.
this is the review I submitted:
 

I don’t have words for just how enjoyable this book was.  I knew from Lucashenko’s reputation that I was in for some possibly confronting race-relations commentary.  What I wasn’t ready for was the joyous militancy of Winona, one of my all-time favourite wise (and foul!)-mouthed activists.  The laugh-out-loud banter between Winona and Dr Johnny is delightful and I could almost hear Winona’s opinion on the current Voice to Parliament debate.  Both the 1850s and 2024 storylines are peopled with believable characters of various cultural backgrounds (indigenous, Scottish, Irish, Chinese, Maori) and when the narratives finally converge, the storytelling is simply lyrical, even, perhaps, mystical.  The book contains some beautiful descriptions of indigenous cultural practices and instances of powerful spiritual connection between people, animals and country.  There is also a liberal sprinkling of First Language words from different groups.  Lucashenko admits to having taken some liberties with history, but if even some of the atrocities in this book are based on fact, this country has some very shameful incidents in our colonial past indeed.   I will most definitely buy and vociferously recommend this extraordinary novel for my school library. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Racism, and Cursing

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

Minor: Rape