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elliott_the_clementine's review
- 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
I will likely never read this book all the way through again without taking breaks because I was deeply affected by the Jeffers’s nuanced portrayal of trauma. I hesitate to use the word triggered because it is so often weaponized by critics of books like these that deftly detail and describe the legacy of slavery in America and that discuss the intersectionality of abuse (domestic and sexual most prominently throughout this book) as well as racism and sexism. I experienced significant distress at certain parts of this book and I would recommend that all readers take the time to look through the trigger warnings and protect their mental health while reading, because I do highly recommend this book.
I cannot really put a numerical rating on this book - its value as literature and as a historical and cultural text cannot possibly be encompassed by assigning a number of stars - so I will instead say this: Read it.
Graphic: Medical trauma, Body shaming, Mental illness, Rape, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child death, Self harm, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Incest, Classism, Infidelity, Sexism, Blood, Colonisation, Racism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Dementia and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit
brynalexa'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
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Genocide, Infidelity, Infertility, Mental illness, Body shaming, Abortion, Classism, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Colonisation, Sexism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Addiction, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Murder, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Physical abuse, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy
shrachel_'s review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Slavery and Drug use
Moderate: Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Racism, Infidelity, Suicide, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Incest, Racial slurs, and Rape
aashton93'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
Trauma. I like to escape when I read this book was beautifully written. It had so much history and connection. It focused on real family ties and generational trauma. But also the overcoming. Highlighted the importance of storytelling and family history.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Colonisation, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Racism, and Rape
readandfindout's review
4.5
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4.5 stars
Plot: 4.5 stars
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Colonisation, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Classism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Incest, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Violence, Torture, Rape, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Addiction, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abortion
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Pedophilia, Violence, Racial slurs, Rape, and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation, Infidelity, Murder, Death of parent, Sexism, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Blood, and Bullying
cassielaj's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Death, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Hate crime, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Trafficking, Genocide, Infidelity, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Cursing
blakeandbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Addiction, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Drug abuse, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Violence
all1thegr8'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? No
3.5
Incredible writing and storylines. Jeffers makes great use of 797 pages; although the book is certainly long, it’s length feels appropriate for the depth and vastness of its contents (creating meaningful storylines for over 300+ years of characters & discussing themes of their life is not easy!)
Think I will need significant time to digest this novel. While it’s depth and vastness can be an asset, these qualities can also make it difficult to discern critical takeways, at least immediately.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Abortion, Infidelity, Racism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Grief, Drug use, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide attempt
kelly_e's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Author: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Genre:
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date:
T H R E E • W O R D S
Sweeping • Tender • Rewarding
📖 S Y N O P S I S
The great scholar, W. E. B. Du Bois, once wrote about the Problem of race in America, and what he called "Double Consciousness," a sensitivity that every African American possesses in order to survive. Since childhood, Ailey Pearl Garfield has understood Du Bois’s words all too well. Bearing the names of two formidable Black Americans—the revered choreographer Alvin Ailey and her great grandmother Pearl, the descendant of enslaved Georgians and tenant farmers—Ailey carries Du Bois’s Problem on her shoulders.
Ailey is reared in the north in the City but spends summers in the small Georgia town of Chicasetta, where her mother’s family has lived since their ancestors arrived from Africa in bondage. From an early age, Ailey fights a battle for belonging that’s made all the more difficult by a hovering trauma, as well as the whispers of women—her mother, Belle, her sister, Lydia, and a maternal line reaching back two centuries—that urge Ailey to succeed in their stead.
To come to terms with her own identity, Ailey embarks on a journey through her family’s past, uncovering the shocking tales of generations of ancestors—Indigenous, Black, and white—in the deep South. In doing so Ailey must learn to embrace her full heritage, a legacy of oppression and resistance, bondage and independence, cruelty and resilience that is the story—and the song—of America itself.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois has sat untouched on my shelf for far too long simply because of its sheer size. A yearly reading challenge prompt ('read a 600+ page book') forced my hand and I couldn't be more grateful! This is proof that I shouldn't leave big books sitting on my shelf.
This novel is a long journey, but it was worth every single minute. Following the sweeping history of one American family over centuries of the colonial slave trade, through the Civil War, to our own tumultuous era. It's a work of fiction, yet these characters felt so real. So alive. I was rooting for their victories and sympathized with their pain. Ailey (the main story teller) is researching her families history and I was along for the ride. My heart felt for Lydia as well. These two sister's weaved their way into my brain even when I wasn't reading.
The writing is absolutely beautiful and layered. It was easy to read 100 pages in one sitting without noticing the passage of time. The family history is interwoven seamlessly with the modern timeline. The narrative certainly tackles a lot - race, history, identity, privilege, intersectionality, identity, culture, womanhood and shared trauma - and yet it all comes together so flawlessly.
This book is one for the ages - equal parts compelling and moving. Although lengthy it easily could have been longer. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois is an experience all of its own. It's demanding, challenging, and incredibly well-researched. I will be finding a special place for this one on my favourites bookshelf. Definitely check out content warnings beforehand as this is no easy journey and being in the right headspace is necessary.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• lovers of the family saga
• readers who love beautiful writing
• bookclubs
🔖F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Even in a place of sorrow, time passes. Even in a place of joy. Do not assume that either keeps life from continuing."
"But first you got to get out of the library sometimes and meet somebody, 'cause it ain't legal to marry books."
"These are the incongruities of memory. It is hard to hold on to the entirety of something, but pieces may be held up to light."
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Addiction, Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Misogyny, Classism, Slavery, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Racial slurs, Racism, and Hate crime
Moderate: Colonisation, Sexism, Murder, Violence, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Blood, Sexual content, and Miscarriage
colourism, overdose