Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Yield by Tara June Winch

13 reviews

libscote's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative tense slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This book was slow-paced, but worth the read. It weaves together three different stories about one place in Australia. Two are Indigenous people, and one is a missionary who thinks he is there to do good. The three different stories give you a look at Indigenous life in Australia, which has the most endangered Indigenous languages in the world. When you read about what happened, you might think, "that's awful, but it happened over there." I can promise you that just as bad things happened to Indigenous and Black people in America.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Racism

babblingbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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 against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

The three narratives that the blurb alludes to are brilliantly used here: the MC August, who has returned home to her family for her grandfather’s funeral after leaving due to a tragic loss; her grandfather Poppy, creating his own dictionary to keep his native language alive and sharing stories through each of the definitions; and an immigrant pastor from the 1900s, whose perspective adds to our understanding of the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Australia throughout history and the land claims this family are currently fighting.

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Murder, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Pedophilia

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

While it did take me a long time to read this I still think it's a very interesting thing.
The last 5 chapters were my favourite, I feel like that's where it all came together, before that I had a hard time distinguishing characters from each other and how their related to each other although that might be in part due to the long breaks I took in-between reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime and Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Religious bigotry, Rape, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual assault and Police brutality

rhi_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation and Racism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, Hate crime, Genocide, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Murder

Minor: Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Rape, and Police brutality

penguinsquack's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Racism, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Sexual violence, and Racial slurs

skudiklier's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book was very very good. It took me a while to get into it at first, but that was more to do with how I was reading it than the book itself. I love how this story is told, and feel like it's really valuable for anyone to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Slavery, Eating disorder, and Genocide

Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Rape, Blood, Murder, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, Alcoholism, and Cancer

Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Ableism, Vomit, and War

davidup_15's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

A very important and beautifully written novel. The characters are vividly realised, and the intersection of their stories is interesting. The family tenderness is palpable on every page, and the focus on Indigenous Australian language is intriguing. This book also massively increased my respect for dictionaries!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, Rape, and Racial slurs

travelsbypaper's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

bobbijopmh's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

A moving story of finding home, connection and country. 

It's a really captivating plot and is written across multiple perspectives and timelines. At first, I found this a little jarring, switching between modern-day August & the 1900s; but the perspective switching really adds to the pacing of the story and sort of helps to gradually feed the reader the right emotions and information at the right points in the main narrative.

This book deals with some painful themes, but Tara June Winch's writing is beautiful and emotive. I'd definitely classify this as an #OwnVoices read, and I really loved the inclusion of Wiradjuri language as central to the book. I also really enjoyed the connection to the land and the environment that was so central to the plot. 

The only, singular reason this was not a five-star book for me was the way it ends. I would have liked it to go on just a little longer, but I loved it regardless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence