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anita_haynes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
hananmaya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
carriepond's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-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
Pleasantview is a novel in short stories set in a fictional town in Trinidad and Tobago called Pleasantview. Each of the stories works as standalone short stories, but characters from one story show up in others, creating an overall narrative that you might find in a traditional novel.
"Curled up, under her magical pony-and-rainbow sheets, she had prayed and prayed to fall asleep and wake up a boy. That way, she'd always belong to herself; other people might even belong to her."
"It wasn't scary and foggy no more. He was seeing a new road with black-and-white answers now. . . . Now he feel free . . . Now he had other people, the real culprit-and-them, to hate."
The book summary says that "Pleasantview reveals the dark side of the Caribbean dream," and that it does. Definitely review trigger warnings for this title, because the book covers many heavy topics. But Celeste Mohammed handles it all so expertly, and the characters she creates really shine. I really loved seeing how each story would build on the next, and it really hit home how the decisions we make and actions we take are never isolated-- we are all connected and bound up in one another.
Excellent collection of short stories.
"Curled up, under her magical pony-and-rainbow sheets, she had prayed and prayed to fall asleep and wake up a boy. That way, she'd always belong to herself; other people might even belong to her."
"It wasn't scary and foggy no more. He was seeing a new road with black-and-white answers now. . . . Now he feel free . . . Now he had other people, the real culprit-and-them, to hate."
The book summary says that "Pleasantview reveals the dark side of the Caribbean dream," and that it does. Definitely review trigger warnings for this title, because the book covers many heavy topics. But Celeste Mohammed handles it all so expertly, and the characters she creates really shine. I really loved seeing how each story would build on the next, and it really hit home how the decisions we make and actions we take are never isolated-- we are all connected and bound up in one another.
Excellent collection of short stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Homophobia
Minor: Abandonment and Alcoholism
danzibooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
--
Wowowowow. Absolutely fantastic. Top 3 short story collections. Full review to come.
Also, adding a few trigger warnings cuz I haven't seen any reviews include them.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault; racial slurs.
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Wowowowow. Absolutely fantastic. Top 3 short story collections. Full review to come.
Also, adding a few trigger warnings cuz I haven't seen any reviews include them.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault; racial slurs.
bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition
4.0
A small town in Trinidad has a whole of intrigue! Interconnected short stories detail the lives so well. My heart broke for many of these characters. Women are treated horribly; the men get away with whatever they want. There is so much corruption.
A tough read, as many of the women portrayed are mistresses, being cheated on, or forced to have abortions.
mslaura's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gills_2022's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
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
3.5
peekabook_today's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
readingnomad's review against another edition
3.0
Pleasantview is a collection of short interconnected stories set in the fictional town of Pleasantview in Trinidad. Through these stories the author explores parental relationships, race, class, corruption and religion. It is always interesting to read Caribbean literature because I can draw parallels with many cultures in Africa. Highly recommend this debut.