Reviews with content warning for Violence - My Monticello

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

24 reviews

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

My Monticello is a powerful dystopian novella (no short stories in my edition - no idea what happened to them but I feel robbed, and I was seriously questioning my sanity and reading ability until I realised the problem was the book and not me) where race is front and centre. It’s set in Charlottesville, Virginia in a near future beset by climate change, social unrest and the rise of white supremicism. When the violence of white supremists gets too close to home Da’Naisha just manages to escape with her grandmother and a small group of friends and neighbours. They end up in Monticello, a complicated place for Da’Naisha who is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. She’s a wonderful protagonist, realistically flawed but someone who strives to do her best, and so you want the best for her. The story offers up plenty of uncomfortable parallels between then and now and a searing critique of the impact of race, past, present and future. Just wish I’d been able to read the short stories as well.

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kikiareyoureading's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-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? No

4.0

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mangofandango's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? N/A

3.75

I lost the ability to enjoy reading for a little while, sometimes I have anxiety cycles where it feels too hard? My brain is already too full and I spend my time unspooling things rather than attending to reading something. That happened right after I started this book, and it was the wrong book for the moment for me. But the fact that it took me a long time to finish is not a reflection on it, just on my brain! The stories are well done, moving, effective and clear eyed. The titular story could easily have been a novel of its own, but I liked where it left me, too

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sunah's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

I loved this, I was hooked from the very first page!

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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.0

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

5.0

What an amazing collection of stories.

CWs: Racism, violence, death, gun violence, hate crime, slavery, grief, car accident, pregnancy, ableism, chronic illness (asthma), cursing, infidelity, police brutality, murder, fire. Moderate: Fatphobia, rape, sexual content, war. Minor: adult/minor relationship, sexual assault, blood.

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mmccombs's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

Johnson is an author I will be watching out for! Her language is deft and clear, I felt hope drip from each word. Even though every story was devastating in its own way, they also showed all the ways that things are worth fighting for. I kind of wish the main story, My Monticello, stood on its own, though I understand why it was included with proceeding, much shorter stories. I wasn’t as invested in the first handful of stories, it almost felt like it were just biding it’s time for the jewel of the collection, but I did enjoy how everything linked thematically. A truly fantastic debut!

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