Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson

6 reviews

briana513's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Boring at times.

Ending didn’t feel like a resolution, kind of just seemed like Ruth gave up and everyone moved on? I mean it was for the better but it still seemed like a lot of build up for nothing

Midnight was definitely my favorite character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Police brutality, Miscarriage, and Racism

suzyvee's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Ableism, Racism, and Bullying

Minor: Addiction and Alcohol

alyx_d's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Hate crime, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Racism

Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Cursing, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

seawarrior's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

The Kindest Lie skillfully weaves together the experiences and perspectives of multiple characters in a floundering small town to present a novel where there are no easy answers. Johnson excels at giving her characters unique voices and slowly unraveling their life story to explain who they've become and why. Ironically, the character I felt least compelled by was Ruth. Her naivety and lack of planning frustrated me at times, while in other scenarios her dialogue read too perfect to believe a real person would react how she was. Luckily by the end of the book I felt like Ruth had matured into accepting more responsibility for herself while still speaking her truth. Otherwise, I thought each of the characters were written very authentically, and that Johnson obviously did the research to ensure they would be. The book was much less dramatic than I had expected it to be, which isn't a negative feature. Instead of using flashy, scandalous tropes, Johnson grabs the reader's attention by pitting Ruth's differing responsibilities against each other to a devastating effect. Ultimately, this is a story about the weight of the sacrifices families must make to protect their youngest members, and how Black families are always expected to sacrifice more. I would recommend this book to other readers, especially those looking for stories with multifaceted narratives about race and class in the United States.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, Death of parent, Child death, and Murder

Minor: Miscarriage, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Infertility

sam_h's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Grief, Drug use, and Bullying

Minor: Sexual content, Miscarriage, Cancer, and Animal cruelty

bookmarksandcaffeine's review

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime