Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

19 reviews

sangsmiles's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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katrinkirjat's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Olipa hyvä kirja! En muuta tosin odottanutkaan kirjailijalta aiemmin lukemani kirjan perusteella, mutta silti yllätyin positiivisesti. Kirja vei täysin mukanaan.

Kirja käsittelee äitiyttä, äidittömyyttä, äidiksi tulemista tai tulemattomuutta eri näkökulmista, eri hahmojen tarinoiden kautta. 

Tarinan keskiössä on kuitenkin kolme nuorta, joiden koko elämää värittää, vääntää ja kuroo yhteen ja erilleen salaisuus. Mitä jos kaikki olisi mennyt toisin? Mitä jos salaisuus olisi kerrottu aiemmin?

Pidin kirjan hahmoista ja heidän rosoisuudestaan. Pidin siitä miten tarina kurkotti moneen suuntaan, mutta pysyi silti hyvin kasassa. Pidin siitä, että kirja käsitteli isoja aiheita ja synkkiäkin asioita, mutta ei jäänyt niihin vellomaan tai mässäilemään.

Kirja tuntui vähän elämää isommalta.

Kirjaa hyvin lyhyen hetken pureskeltuani jäin vähän miettimään yhden näkökulman esiin nostamista usean kerran - tätäkö kirjailija halusi alleviivata? Joillekin ”sivujuonille” olisin ehkä kaivannut vähän enemmän tilaa ja käsittelyä. Toisaalta tällaista elämäkin on. Kaikki asiat eivät ”ratkea”, saa päätepistettä ja jotkut asiat pyörivät loopilla loppuelämän.

Suosittelen kyllä lukemaan tämän.



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jaja_1212's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The characters felt realistically flawed in their own ways and I enjoyed the writing metaphorical and intimate writing style, which kept me going even although the narrative voice took a while for me to get used to.

After getting such a deep, intimate look into the lives and minds of these characters the ending felt a little too abrupt,  I can see why the author might want to end it at that point in their lives though.

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

I was heading for a bit of a slump, luckily Brit Bennett’s debut sailed in and saved the day! I read The Vanishing Half when it came out, loved it, then in classic fashion, didn’t get round to the author’s debut for 3 years. But The Mothers is definitely worth the wait, I may even have enjoyed it more than The Vanishing Half, can’t quite decide!

It’s only 280 pages or so, but it has the richness of a novel twice that length. It follows the impact of a decision made by a 17 year old girl that reverberates through her life and the lives of those around her. It includes a perspective we don’t often hear from when it comes to abortion, and to me it felt thoughtfully done. Bennett navigates the ups and downs of a teenage friendship through to adulthood, and I think everyone did genuinely feel like they’d grown up - so often characters in their twenties are written to behave like 16 year olds.

There are quite a few questionable decisions made throughout this book, which honestly I always love lol. Can’t be dealing with drama in real life but I love my books with plenty of messiness. If you enjoy a good drama centred on friendship rather than family, I’d def recommend giving this one a go!

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reallyitsrudi's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • 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? Yes

3.75

the point of view is confusing at the start and the very end, but generally it's easy to follow

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maddyontheoffbeat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced
  • 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


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analia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.0


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jennazim's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • 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

3.5


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rebekah_florence's review against another edition

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

5.0

If you’re a fan of the show Greenleaf, I would highly recommend this book.  As a Black woman who grew up in the church (specifically with family members who were pastors of an A.M.E. Zion church) this book felt like coming home to me.  The mothers of the church-their drama, adages, gossiping, compassion- were written in such an authentic way that I could hear their voices as they spoke.  I could gush about this book all day.  I love that the title is a nod to not just the mothers of the church but also the mothers of our three main characters in the novel.  Each of their mothers has traumatized them in one way or another, and that trauma has brought them to they way each of them navigates their own life presently.  I loved that the story was told from multiple points of view.  Maybe it’s the theatre-lover in me but each time the “Mothers” narrated the story, I felt that they operated as a Greek chorus of sorts. If I had to make a complaint about this book, I would say that I wish the ending was a little more fleshed out without
the major time jump
but perhaps that’s for the best.  Much like Nadia’s situation and relationships, some things will
always be left unresolved
.

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lysduciel's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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