Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

8 reviews

noahsingh's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

Mixed feelings about this one! Some aspects of the book weren't developed enough (imho) and I felt a bit let down by the ending but there were lots of aspects I did enjoy., including the writing itself and the main characters of Samuel and Kayode.
Pros: 
-Everyone has already said this but yeah obviously the writing is really good. 
- Enjoyed that we get a perspective chapter from almost every enslaved character. Especially enjoyed Maggie and Sarah's perspectives. 
-Samuel and Kayodes relationship is beautifully written. Its the first book I've read set during the transatlantic slave trade with focuses on queer black characters, and it was really interesting to read a perspective on that.
-I loved loved loved the King Asuka chapters, my only complaint there is that I wish there had been a lot more of that narrative in general. Same for Sarah's narrative. The exploration of black queerness and transness as not yet warped by slavery and colonialism is definitely one of the strongest aspects of this book to me. 
-
And of course, white people being killed by the people they enslaved is always V satisfying, Samuel killing Timothy was great 10/10


Cons:
-Not enough time spent with each characters, and I didn't see the need for Paul's chapters being so long. 
-I personally don't enjoy too much description/poetic language which gets in the way of the actual narrative, which I think this book suffered from a bit. Its all very well-written but I think some of it could have definitely been cut down. But this is a personal bias of mine obvy. 
-Some elements of the book were underdeveloped, for example the Beulah/Be Auntie connection, the Seven/Vs the Seven aunts, etc 
-So so so much (trigger warning) rape. I understand it's historically accurate to the enslavement of black individuals in America but the explicitness and repeated graphic descriptions seemed unnecessary and kinda excessive for me. For example,
having both Ruth and Timothy assault Samuel seemed like way too much. Ruths assault of Samuel didn't add anything to the story and could have easily either been removed or referred to rather than graphically described.
 

-A lot of the characters don't get a conclusive ending, of course that's hard to do when most of the characters are enslaved individuals and escape from slavery was practically impossible.
  However we never have any idea what happens to Adam, we leave Beulah/Be Aunties story the moment Beulah actually takes control (which felt like a cop-out to me), and I didnt see the need for Samuel to lead Kayode away from the plantation as a ghost, just for Kayode to die almost immediately anyway. And of course what happens to Essie, Puah, Maggie etc is all left up in the air.
 



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lisztaffe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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peachani's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-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? No

4.0


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amberinbookland's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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davidrb's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced
  • 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

An absolute triumph of writing, characterization, and execution. The first review I'm writing here, and for good reason. I think this is going to be my favorite of 2021. 

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emilybolivia's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This synopsis falls so short. I was privileged to listen to the author, Robert Jones, Jr., speak about this novel with fellow author Deesha Philyaw last week. Originally intended to be a narrative from Isaiah's perspective, Mr. Jones shared "What their love needed was witnesses." He created and wrote more than 10 witnesses to their relationship, both Black slaves and White slaveholders and overseer. The result was a profound exploration of deeply personal Antebellum South experiences including voices and stories from ancestors and the horrors of the Middle Passage journey. The scope of voices just left me in awe. It was immersive. Ms. Philyaw said, "each page is a gift". Reading this novel was a full-body, mind-blowing experience in both its beauty and its tragedy. 
.
The normalizing of Isaiah and Samuel's love was refreshing and affirming. The treatment of gender identity and roles was thought-provoking. The strength, wisdom, tenacity, and beauty of the Black women was artful and real. The White people were written with care and, Mr. Jones shared, great consideration for their motivations. One must confront their humanity. From the book, "there was no such thing as monsters. Every travesty that had ever been committed had been committed by plain people and every person had it in them."

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jbraith's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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jouiselouise's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0


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