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woodsymel'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
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Abandonment, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Classism, Death, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Death of parent, Confinement, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
enbae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A must-read for so many (white) people who can't imagine the cruel reality of slavery.
!!!But also huge trigger warnings: this book deals with topics as slavery, rassism, sexism, torture and even execution!
Graphic: Colonisation, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Death, Torture, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Trafficking, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief and Alcohol
Executionrachel_macak'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
4.25
Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Racism
midnightmarauder's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
On Sarah's eleventh birthday, she is "gifted" a slave girl named Handful. Sarah, already extremely against slavery at such a young age, initially rejects her "present", but, after being told that she couldn't do so, her and Handful become very close.
Handful lives up to her name, being defiant toward both Sarah and the Grimké household as a whole in the beginning of the novel. But, after getting to know Sarah more and hearing her personal stance of slavery, she warms up to her and the two become friends.
The story is written in a non-linear writing style, alternating between both Sarah and Handful's point-of-views, and different time periods from 1806 to 1836. Through these time periods, Handful works on the Grimké property and dreams of being free someday, while Sarah works toward her goal of the emancipation of all slaves, along with racial equality and rights for women.
I feel that Sue Monk Kidd did an excellent job at telling both Sarah and Handful's stories. People who write about white abolitionists tend to hold them to a god-like standard, without bothering to even mention their slaves (if they had any). Kidd took the time to humanize Handful and make it clear that she was a person, too, not just someone who sat on the sidelines.
I do wish that Kidd had given more depth to Handful's point of view. I know there wasn't much she could cover, as Handful was enslaved for the entire book
All in all, I went into this book not knowing anything about either Sarah nor Handful. I hadn't even heard their names before. I really enjoyed reading about each woman's push toward equality for all.
Graphic: Racism, Blood, Classism, Slavery, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abandonment, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
onyxx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Emocjonalna, piekna historia, która na dlugo zapadnie mi w pamięć.
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, Colonisation, and Slavery
Moderate: Hate crime, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Torture
reddeddy'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
2.75
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Body horror, Colonisation, and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Ableism, Xenophobia, Cursing, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Bullying, Drug use, and Sexual harassment
tesshope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Torture
sofiajearally's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Alcohol and Blood