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badwolfreads's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Tiffany McDaniels
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You know those really terrible 20-car pileups? That's what this book reminded me of. And not in a bad way (although there really isn't anything good about a car accident). It was like watching cars slowly crash into each other. It's terrible, but you don't want to stop looking. Traumatic event after traumatic event crashing into each other.
This book is about the Carpenter family, mostly about Betty. Alka & Landon, the parents, didn't meet in a particularly special way, but what was special was that Landon beat the shit out of Alka's dad after he found out he beat her. They ran off and had 8 kids, 2 of whom didn't last long. Landon is Native American with dark-skin, and so is Betty. This being in the time they were in and in Ohio, racial discrimination was pretty brutal, even among themselves. Alka, who was white, would tell Betty terrible things about how she looked. And so did her sister, Flossie. Then there was rape - 2 of the female characters were r*ped and Betty herself was almost raped, and these incidents weren't by strangers. Alka Carpenter isn't the greatest mom, but when you consider what happened to her, it makes more sense. There just so much that happens. The book takes place over the span of many years, which makes it seem really slow. There isn't a lot of happiness that comes through in this book, at least not for me. But it kept me reading and wanting to know what happens to certain characters. I would recommend with caution...this one is kind of heavy.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Murder, Bullying, Abortion, Sexual assault, Child death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Animal death, Sexism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
evetucker'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal death, Death, Racism, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death of parent, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Rape, and Suicide attempt
donutcome4me's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Mental illness, Hate crime, Bullying, Blood, Animal death, Child abuse, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Child death, Incest, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Self harm, Rape, and Emotional abuse
marigolds_and_lavander'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: Incest, Gun violence, Grief, Abortion, Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Vomit, Suicide, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Violence, Self harm, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia
morleymathers'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: Rape
Moderate: Racism and Mental illness
milliebrierley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Grief, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Suicide, and Death
zaracampbell'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
Grappled with some very dark themes with authenticity and honesty. A testament to the raw and inherent strength of women, even more so in a time period that discredited their power.
I never wanted this book to end. It was one of those books where you want to highlight everything and commit it to memory so you never let the words leave you.
Graphic: Classism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Self harm, Racism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Grief, Physical abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Blood, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Adult/minor relationship
molliundera_'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Self harm
Moderate: Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Violence
dws's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child abuse, Drug use, Ableism, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Pedophilia, Racism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy
sarahsverse's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Gaslighting, and Incest