Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

11 reviews

michaelion's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.5

Trying to find reasons not to give this 5 stars is very, very hard. I'm biased because immediately it reminded me of Toni Morrison's Paradise. Whether or not that was intentional, I'm not gonna look it up, but I love it even more for that.

Passing is a thing that happened and I'm sure there are still many, many quadroons and hexadecaroons walking around without a clue. I've always felt sympathy for the people who passed, and this book definitely gave me a new / another understanding. (I mean, who can be mad at you for wanting better for your life and your family?) To be moved so much by a book show just how good it is. That being said though I do not feel sympathy for Stella!

After what she did to Loretta and Reg?!

This one's definitely staying on my bookshelf.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Grief, Racism, and Outing

Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Gaslighting

Minor: Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Stalking, Blood, Deadnaming, and Medical content

burnt_milk's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I'm so glad I read Nella Larsen's Passing before this as a foundational work. This is fantastic. It is an exploration of all these different people through generations projecting, escaping, not 'finding themselves' but clawing together and making selves anew, searching for where they fit in it all, always conscious of who they are seen by, how they allow themselves to be seen. It was horrifying with Stella - her strangeness of having two worlds she could inhabit but neither of them feeling like home. I really loved Jude and would spend a whole book with her if I could, and I wasn't expecting a happy ending for a character like Reese, or even for him to exist at all, so that was nice to see.
I wish we'd gotten more at the end but this was beautifully written and a joy to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Dementia, Domestic abuse, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Pedophilia and Child abuse

mjones14's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

• 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? Yes

1.75

This book sent me into a massive reading slump. It took me 4 months to finish and I nearly DNFed it. 

HOWEVER, I can appreciate that it is beautifully written, it was just not the book I thought was or a book that naturally appeals to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Transphobia and Dementia

Minor: Grief, Bullying, Stalking, and Medical content

elisalasater's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying and Sexual assault

Minor: Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Stalking

laurendenton's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical content, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Addiction, Dementia, and Misogyny

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Stalking, and Cursing

erd's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

Love how the story is organized into chunks diving deeper on specific characters and their pain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Death, Classism, Grief, and Rape

Minor: Drug abuse, Slavery, Stalking, Violence, Alcohol, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, and Pedophilia

None of content is over-the-top or overdone, all of it drives the story along.

beca_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Stalking

steppecreature's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Deadnaming, Dementia, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Transphobia

Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma

llj's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

The best book I’ve ever read, can’t recommend enough

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment and Stalking

Minor: Death of parent

bekah445's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Violence

Minor: Murder and Stalking