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larskat'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Blood, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Suicide attempt
aksmith92's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
When all is said and done, this book may be sci-fi/fantasy (I believe Butler noted that she would call it "grim fantasy" in an interview since there was nothing scientific about it), but it's more real than we would like it to be. It's about race and an incredibly dark time in American history. Butler manages to intersect historical records and research with the time-traveling trope in a fascinating and beautiful (but, as most books about this time, horrible) way. It is incredibly well-written and emotional. It pained me to read this, but it was so important to read it at the same time.
As a note, Butler has decided to forgo a lot of explanation around this somewhat science fiction novel and has instead relied on metaphor and allegory during the more "fantastical" times of the novel. We don't get intense descriptions of the time travel or the "science" behind it - we just know it happens and its impacts. This is no spoiler and won't take away from the story, but those who are itching for more detail may find themselves frustrated. But, for a book of this caliber, I don't think it was at all needed.
I loved it and yet hated it so much because America at this time was awful. I had all the feels reading this book, but I thought it was incredibly well done. I'm sure excited to read more of Octavia Butler's stuff in the future.
Graphic: Slavery, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Racial slurs, Gore, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, and Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
twistykris's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Torture, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Ableism, Miscarriage, Addiction, and Rape
elliexreads's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
Graphic: Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Self harm, Pregnancy, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, Racism, Torture, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Cursing, Blood, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
deanchaudhri's review
- 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? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Death, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Sexual violence
Minor: Self harm, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness
dee_hzz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual violence, Grief, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
erebus53's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This is a tale of survival. Dana finds herself dislocated from her time and place and landing in the early 1800s in the middle of emergency. At first she saves a small boy from drowning, and then later she stops a fire. As she follows the pattern she realises that she has a connection to a young man who has very bad luck and who she continually has to save from his misadventures.
First hand, she finds out how Black and White people are divided in status and role, and how those divisions are brutally enforced. She hopes that by befriending this small child she may be able to stop him from developing into the same sort of man as his brutal, plantation-owner father.
In the same vein as Time Traveler's Wife (a book published 24 years after it)... hmm, ok I'm going there. *Incredible Tangent Person! go!* Time Traveler's Wife was interpreted for screen 6 years after its publication and Kindred, a book that also deals with slipping through time involuntarily, was adapted for screen 43 years after its publication in 1979. OK, one of those books was about a man who met the woman he eventually married when she was a child and who develops a relationship with her in chronologically asynchronous order, and the other was about a Black woman coming to understand her family's history, slavery and the brutality of oppression, by rescuing her White, several times great grandfather from death.. so I guess it's more about whether or not people want to discuss Grooming, or Inter-Racial marriage and the brutality of slavery... but why did we have to wait so long before that was a thing?
Kindred is a thoroughly compelling read and I seriously raced through the book, not wanting to put it down. The relationships are rich and messy, and offer a convincing look at what happens when we care about people despite their faults. It is a story of survival, and through Dana we are allowed a glimpse of the real life, love, fear, and survival that was endured by those living and working plantations.
Graphic: Infidelity, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
ruthhelizabeth's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy and Religious bigotry
Minor: Incest, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization
icapturethecastle'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Slavery, and Vomit
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Physical abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Cursing
Minor: Infidelity, Infertility, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Child death