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hlipman22's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Hannie’s story was much more compelling than Benny’s. Her story was full of true emotion and shared a part of history I wasn’t familiar with through the lost friends letters. The relationships between her, Lavinia, and Juneau Jane, were complex and well developed. Benny’s story on the other hand was a classic white savior teacher, coming in to an underserved rural southern school from CA after being dumped by her boyfriend, looking to make a difference in the lives of her poor black students and connecting with the black sheep son of the ruling class. Her role in the story could have been filled by any number of people already in the community. Towards the end I was finally starting to tolerate her, until the final sentences bringing in her teenage pregnancy and comparing willingly giving up a child for adoption to the plight of freed slaves, separated from their loved ones by being sold away and war. If I could give Hannie’s story a 4 and Benny’s a 1, I probably would. All together it was an ok read but not one I could recommend.
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
elisalasater's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Slavery and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Pregnancy
mimlleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Slavery
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, and War
kelsiemargareta'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
3.75
Moderate: Sexual assault and Slavery
fifteenthjessica'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? Yes
4.0
Both these stories are strong on their own, but I'm not sure if these are as strong together. I also haven't read a lot of dual narrative novels, so this could be normal. At the end of each chapter, the story switches between Hannie and Benny. In addition, like many authors, Lisa Wingate ends her chapters on a cliffhanger. So the story goes where you spend time with Hannie and the others, then hit a cliffhanger, then read about Benny and her students, then hit a cliffhanger, then back to Hannie and so on. Sometimes you read the chapter between to get back to the previous chapter's cliffhanger, and you get a brief summary of how the character got out of the situation. Another problem is that the stakes of the two story lines are very different. Benny's financial woes, romantic life, and attempts to motivate her students seem like relatively small potatoes compared to the physical peril that Hannie, Juneau Jane, and Lavinia have to navigate in their chapters. I don't dread Benny's chapters, but it feels like an anti-climax to go from Hannie being thrown overboard to Benny trying to get classroom books.
The characters are either excellent (Hannie, Juneau Jane, Benny) or underwhelming (pretty much any antagonist).
Graphic: Trafficking, Murder, Slavery, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship
laheath'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
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death and Blood
ems_rxlibrary'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape
aasplund's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Racism
owlmybookandplanneradventures'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
4.25
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery
abigailp's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape