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colormecaro's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
As someone who is interested in language and the effects it has on how people think and see the world, I loved this book. As a speaker of different languages (although the languages I speak are nowhere near as complex and full of meaning as many an indigenous language), I appreciated the way in which this book illustrates how words can’t simply be translated. They hold a whole other dimension which is shown in the dictionary chapters of the book. By losing indigenous languages we lose all the knowledge they hold.
Apart from the language aspects, learning more about a culture that has seen the cruelest hardships feels very important. When I was 4 years old, I became fascinated with Australia (mostly its animal world) and as a 6 year old read the stories of the Dreaming (aboriginal origin stories). I was probably too young to reckon with the dark past of Australia, but this feels like a full circle moment. It all ties into my current interests and feelings about the world. I am on a mission to read more indigenous literature from around the world and this was a prime example of my why.
Graphic: Racism, Genocide, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Police brutality, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder, Grief, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Murder, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
neonskylite's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Cancer, Sexual assault, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness
anniereads221's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
The three points of view as follows is:
August centred POV in the third person
Grandfathers dictionary
And a letter is being written by a reverend of the ex-missionary
When it throws you into the story of August going back to her family home in massacre Plains to go to her grandfather's funeral. She hasn't been home since she was sent to Britain and stayed. She wants to find her grandfather's dictionary that he was seen writing before his death. But with that, she also has the memory of her sister in her mind as her sister went missing when she was a child.
The more we learned, the more I was intrigued and was enjoying the journey of this book.
I feel like this book won't be for everyone, as the POVs prove. But I am so glad I decided to reread it and understand how it all fitted together properly in the end.
I am glad I started with this book for 2024 after my rereads of the Monk and Robot series
Graphic: Violence, Genocide, Death, Murder, Grief, Child death, Racism, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Colonisation
Moderate: Eating disorder
holly_133'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
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexual assault
arayo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Racism
Minor: Police brutality and Xenophobia
emzireads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Colonisation, and Police brutality
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
babblingbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Murder, Violence, Grief, Racism, Colonisation, Child abuse, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Child death, and Death
spinesinaline's review
- 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
5.0
It’s a book about grief in more ways than one: more recent and past losses of family members, the horrific treatment of their ancestors and through that treatment, the loss of lives, culture, language, and land. Winch does not shy away from details so there are some very brutal descriptions in here, so do take note of the content warnings. I wasn’t surprised to learn this history but horrified all the same.
As someone who works in the archives and museum field, I also really appreciated seeing these institutions called out in terms of how they handle Indigenous objects and requests for repatriation to this day. Getting to experience the unfeeling policies from those whose objects are held, without consent in many cases, by museums and archives is a welcome perspective that more professionals should be exposed to in reconsidering these policies.
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Murder, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Pedophilia
madetofly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Colonisation, Genocide, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Drug use, Child death, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction