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tracamiller's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
This is a tale steeped in southern traditions, memorable characters, and good ol’ generational secrets and guilt. A dash of Creole beliefs and hoodoo, the ancient talisman of social/racial prejudices, a pinch of religious practices and dogma, and a whisper of magical realism provide all the ingredients needed to create beautiful literary gris gris!
Centered around the charming Bonaventure Arrow and his lack of speech, the author relies upon beautifully written prose to describe what he hears rather than what he says. Very descriptive, sometimes very graphic, but always engagingly told, the stories of each character come together in a way that will leave me thinking about them long after I’ve turned the last page.
Centered around the charming Bonaventure Arrow and his lack of speech, the author relies upon beautifully written prose to describe what he hears rather than what he says. Very descriptive, sometimes very graphic, but always engagingly told, the stories of each character come together in a way that will leave me thinking about them long after I’ve turned the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Death of parent, Abortion, and Classism
courtneyp's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I wanted to love this & I was enjoying the ambiance and the slow unfurling of the mystery. That being said, the further in I got the more apparent it became that the characters of colour were all background characters used primarily to further the story of the white characters. Then it fell completlely flat for me as soon as the pro-forced birth rhetoric started spilling through towards the end. It hit a little too close to home for me after the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade & I DNFed it and tossed it in the recycling bin. It was interesting to me that the woman performing what was described as an evil baby murder was one of the few POC characters. Marking it as finished because I did make it over 300 pages in & I'm coming out of a reading slump. Definitely would not recommend to anyone, there are better magical realism titles that don't shove their backwards views down your throat after you've wasted your time and made it 3/4 of the way in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Ableism, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
sace's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Abortion, and Murder
kostyalya's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
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