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matmatmatty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I am honestly a little speechless after reading this.
I've had this book on my shelf for a while, and had a lot of people suggest it to me, but only recently got around to reading it.
This is such an important story that I really cannot recommend more. I wish I had read it earlier and had the opportunity to take in what I took from it then.
This story follows 12 separate characters and their story of self discovery and finding themselves. Some of these stories are within a couple of years, some over entire lifetimes. They are all unique and feel so real.
All of these stories are connected, in different ways, and you get to hear about characters from multiple perspectives (including their own) which gives them a greater depth (I also got to think about how we can be our own unreliable narrator for ourselves and those around us)
Evaristo's writing style might not be for everyone - it's very poetic and not structured like a "typical" writer but if that's a barrier for you, I would really try to overcome it because this book is so worth it.
Graphic: Rape, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Transphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Drug use and Miscarriage
ellxnmcgrxth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Addiction, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Suicide
brittcoxon's review against another edition
- 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
By the end of the book I felt I knew all our characters so well, their lives, influences and ambitions.
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Grief, Miscarriage, Death, Racism, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent
isabellamarg's review against another edition
- 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
I think my favorite part of this novel was seeing the characters all come together in the same place in the final chapter creating a full-circle moment for the reader where we see people forgive others and other's misgivings. The epilogue in this novel was also a really sweet treat for the reader with lost connections being found (no spoilers here).
I loved how each section of the novel was broken down into a trio of characters that were somehow related or knew each other. There were a lot of mom and daughter plot lines as well as teachers, siblings, friends, etc. The punctuation and capitalization of the writing honestly did not bother me. I thought it created a poetic flow to the writing that I almost preferred for this type of storytelling. Overall, masterfully written and wonderful book that spans generations of black women and their families. The cohesive exploration of friendship and love while also highlighting injustice in our world made me think deeply about how we carry ourselves through this world.
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Minor: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction
heather667's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Abandonment, Biphobia, Bullying, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Deadnaming and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, and Colonisation
haza's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Racism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Slavery, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Transphobia, and Addiction
jayne17's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Cursing, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
amandas_bookshelf'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Outing, Slavery, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Racism, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
Minor: Infertility
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Transphobia, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Ableism, Pedophilia, Slavery, Suicide, War, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism, Cancer, Confinement, Miscarriage, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Incest warning is just in case, for an affair between in-laws.uncreativeoops'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Drug use, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Abandonment, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Rape, Slavery, Sexism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Colonisation, and Deadnaming
Minor: Cancer, Physical abuse, Abortion, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Addiction, Antisemitism, and Alcohol