Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

570 reviews

sabripolin's review

reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Totally transported (pun not intended…) by the vivid imagery of Dana’s experience in two time periods, but mostly by the complex, conflicting emotions and ethical dilemmas she encounters and how to manage situations in a period-appropriate manner. 

Minus points (?) for all characters’ lack of FREAKING OUT and Dana’s seemingly emotionless disposition all throughout. We also don’t really get a “why” to why this all happened or what triggered her first transportation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Ableism, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

dixiecarroll's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

This was so interesting and horrific at the same time. I took off half a star because the complexities of slavery and how easy it *seemed* to be to adapt to horrible circumstances were a little too pointed in the first half, but the second half weaved this in very well. I listened to this and was audibly gasping left and right because I was so invested and heartbroken. Can’t believe I didn’t have to read this in school and hope that this can be required reading one day for everyone, especially white Americans. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Classism, Cursing, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide

maddyreads89's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Octavia butler sure knows how to write emotionally brutal books 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Slavery

Moderate: Rape and Self harm

miss_vonnegut's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

Butler is an incredible writer. I loved getting a time-travel novel in which the main character is a black woman. As you can imagine, this book gets really dark, but even as someone who has a hard time with certain types of dark books, this was fine. Not a bad idea to check content warnings, but nothing felt gratuitous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Torture, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Alcoholism

Since she keeps getting transported back to the pre-civil war south, you see a lot of time-period typical violence, racism, etc.

alpaca_in_space's review

adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is an example of what makes Octavia Butler a great author. While it has darker themes, they don't feel added for the sake of shock value - instead they were clearly added to ensure the story was handling the implications of its premise. It is an incredible work of literature inviting readers into one of the darkest parts of the United States's past and to think about what lasting impacts it had into today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Rape

At the beginning of the book we see that Dana is missing an arm due to the events of the book, as time passes it is revealed that it is because

it was phased into the wall when she was sent back to her time after she killed the man trying to assault her

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geometryprime's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Trafficking, Racial slurs, Rape, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death, Confinement, Torture, Slavery, Colonisation, Abandonment, Suicide, Self harm, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Misogyny, and Hate crime

mareltor's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

W. O. W. This book left me grappling with so many feelings. She really didn’t hold back. This book didn’t go the way I imagined it would, but it’s more impactful because of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

kiwichill's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Bullying, Death, Murder, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Vomit, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Excrement, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Cursing

alexklinect's review against another edition

challenging sad slow-paced

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

2.5

It feels like the author was given this prompt for a high school English class: “A time-traveler, but no one understands her, she criticizes everything, there’s no character development, nothing makes sense, and the book ends without resolution.” Although the beginning was a bit slow, the middle was interesting, yet the ending seemed rushed and unclear. I would have given three stars if there had better character development and a clearer, more impactful ending. 
2.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Suicide

Minor: Rape

claraofthewood's review

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Pregnancy, Rape, Racism, Body horror, Racial slurs, Blood, Child abuse, Slavery, and Sexual assault