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noless_nomore'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? No
3.75
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
helendipietro'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
2.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Violence, and Colonisation
andreiaoh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I was slow to warm up to this book and it was not an easy read at all but incredibly powerful and Evaristo's writing was wonderful. I loved the mixed medium style of this novel from standard prose, to non-fiction-esque passages, posters, advertisements and diary entries and I think it definitely made this a little easier to digest, particularly around the half way point.
This novel was simultaneously exactly what I expected as well as took me off guard completely and it'll definitely be a story I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
misssophiereads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
4.5
So far this sounds all fairly typical for story centred on slavery. Yet in this world whyte Europanes were enslaved by black Aphrikans. Bernardine Evaristo has cleverly subverted the typical slave narrative and associated racial and colonial tropes by reversing and inverting the race of the main players. She has drawn far and wide in both historical and geographical terms for her source material so the world in this book is not an exact negative of any one place or period in ours. Much clearly comes from nineteenth century plantations; other material possibly from more recent immigrant experiences. I had fun recognising echoes of classics including Roots and Heart of Darkness. The novel cleverly skewers and satirises such notions as beauty ideals, innate racial characteristics, and notions of civilised vs uncivilised by simply reversing the positions of the races. If anyone is in any doubt as to the absolute wrongness of slavery, racism and colonialism the role reversal of this book should promote discomfort and a radical rethink. Even the majority of readers are likely to find something in this sly subversive story which gives them a new perspective, brings them up short, or provokes new awareness.
This isn’t my favourite book by Bernardine Evaristo but I really enjoyed it for its fresh and clever take on slavery.
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Violence
kyras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, and Kidnapping
annamontg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
asourceoffiction'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
4.0
While reading I found myself hoping and wishing that levels of empathy would be the same regardless of the skin colour of those suffering. But knowing how white privilege is still so disappointingly prevalent, this is such a brilliant way to challenge perceptions of race and culture. It was also interesting to see that those forced into slavery still largely come from the same area (Europa in this world is geographically below Aphrika), perhaps as an example of the ludicrous, arbitrary distinctions that were used to justify this abhorrent practice - that one group thought themselves superior simply because of their position on the planet.
This is not an easy read, but it is so clever and such an important satire that encourages a fresh look at the history of the slave trade.
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
jennie_white2008's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, and Trafficking
fionag's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Blonde Roots is a satire about what would’ve happened if white people were enslaved instead of black people.
The two perspectives of the book are both distinct and very different, and Evaristo’s writing style is unique and made the book feel oddly timeless.
Some of the satire felt a bit too on the nose for me (Coasta coffee) but I did laugh when Doris longed for the bland food of her country.
The book spans years and a lot goes on, showing experience of capture, domestic slavery and plantation life. I really liked how all the characters connected in some way.
The ending was very bittersweet, after all, slavery never ends well.
I really liked what Evaristo did with the book, though I’m not sure that it was more affective than a book about traditional slavery. I can understand though this Blond Roots will probably give some people a wider perspective and, because history is written by the victors, shows how easily things could’ve been different.
Really enjoyable read, will absolutely check out more of her books
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault