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penhaligon'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
First, I found the writing style very interesting in The Nickel Boys. Much like the environment and happenings in the book, the writing style was not flowery or flowing. At times it was curt, it was precise, it would cut a sentence into two or three short ones. Very contrary to what I normally read and enjoy, it really made me stop, literally, multiple times to make me focus on the “why” of the styling chosen, which I think made things more impactful for me; at times I even reread to see if there was a hidden meaning of intent. It wasn’t so much that it was difficult or confusing, but more so gave me pause.
The tale itself is sad: full stop. Sure there are moments of positivity, of hope and optimism. But ultimately, it is a tragic, yet necessary, fictional telling of the worst of humanity. And being fiction, it is easy to understand and digest. I will say the ending threw me - I guessed it a bit before the Epilogue, but not early enough that it spoiled anything. And honestly it makes me want to reread it to see if I can pick out the context clues which were sprinkled along the way.
Can definitely understand why this won a Pulitzer. Definitely recommend. I finished it in ~6 hours over two days.
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Rape, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying
gotnoculture's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Murder, Torture, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Sexual assault, Grief, and Addiction
Minor: Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
sammies_shelf'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
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual assault
davianareads'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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Racism, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Abandonment, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Bullying, and Addiction
allagainforart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Favorite parts: The MLK Jr. quotes and the way that Elwood attempts to apply / interpret them, the relationships between Elwood and his grandmother and Elwood and Turner, the way the author includes seemingly “friendly” white people who are anything but that as soon as the boys step out of line (Harper is the one who ultimately shoots Elwood) (obviously didn’t “like” this part but found the “betrayal” to be realistic since Harper was very much part of the status quo of the school)
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Death, Child death, Homophobia, Medical content, Outing, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, and Vomit
mblanke'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
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, and Child death
Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Classism, and Homophobia
angietheace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia
julesgalgan'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Racism, and Homophobia
churameru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Rape, Torture, and Violence
bookcaptivated'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism