Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - The Vanishing Half

Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

246 reviews

caitlinjfinlay's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I feel like this book tried to cover too many important topics without entering into any one of them with any great detail. I found the details surrounding Reese’s identity and Barry’s sexuality a bit fuzzy, and was left wanting more of an exploration into Stella’s psyche. I feel Desiree’s character was a bit neglected by the author; I would’ve liked to have known how her separation from Stella impacted her. We don’t find out what Kennedy’s discovery about her racial identity means to her, or whether it means anything at all. I found this book dragged and I was waiting for a big reveal or plot twist that never arrived. That said it does cover some important themes - racism, colourism, domestic violence, transgenderism - and poignantly so, hence 3 stars for that. I was just left wanting a bit more.

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ashely_56's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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? Yes

5.0

I choose to read this story for black history month, and this story takes you on an emotional journey as guides you through intergenerational African American search for identity and how severing one connection to their past and identity can lead to them feeling lost and alone.

It demonstrates how whiteness is purely a creation of perspective. Yet it proves how deadly and cruel that perspective is.

Stella makes a choice and she has to live with the consequences of that choose everyday.

While climax of the story was a quieter storm than I anticipated it didn't make it any less impact full or the grief less palpable.

The story does not end as neatly or with the amount of closure most readers like myself were hoping for. However that is more reflective of real life, our complicated relationship often don't end with the right amount of closure we need and we end of living with that grief.

This story is one of how each women lives with her grief and how that impacts their relationships with other.

This book is definitely a new favorite.

It felt like it took quite a while for the story to get started, but once it did it was outstanding and gripping!

Overall an impressive and impact read for Black History Month.

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erinvasut's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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? Yes

5.0

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hihicass's review against another edition

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

4.25

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ms_read's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

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noahbw's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

It’s hard not to think of this in conversation with Passing - in some ways, it feels like it could be an extended version, even though of course the details (and time period) are very different.

And some unexpected trans representation! I would have been interested to see some exploration of passing in terms of gender v race

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