Reviews

Caucasia by Danzy Senna

booksandabackpack's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

3.75

natalieba's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? No

4.0

I enjoyed this read and the discussion I had after finishing it. It is a super discussable book that tackles difficult issues (race, colorism, “passing”, living with an unstable parent, being intentionally separated from loved ones, trauma) while also putting the reader in the mind of child coming of age (and all the “usual” things that go with that - the awkwardness of being a teen, rebelling against your mom, sisterly love, and figuring out who you are). There are parts that didn’t hit as strongly as others and some things seemed  but convenient, but the ending is great and I really enjoyed my reading experience.

tarajoy90's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

3.5

lahoori's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

despina19's review against another edition

3.25

My reading experience was ok, not great. I’m still processing and thinking about what she was trying to say and the story itself. 

I was drawn in to the beginning and also at the end. I enjoyed that this love story was really between the sisters. 

I was both saddened and repulsed by so many of the things Birdie was exposed to at the beginning of the story as a 7/8 year old. Her exposure to all-too-adult experiences continues as the story progresses, so I almost became jaded to it. 

There was missing info or ends not tied up.  And, I didn’t appreciate the unresolved differing accounts of how much trouble her mom was or wasn’t in.

I did see that Danzy Senna’s parents had a very bitter divorce. And the book feels full of anger, confusion and sadness. I heard her in an interview repeatedly say she is interested in non-redemptive stories and about pushing pain to the edge and then the story just ends. I think she accomplished both of those things. 

I do appreciate many of the themes she brought up, and having heard her on interviews, I really like her. So I would definitely read her again; however this book fell short for me.

meganturnsthepage's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

eunicek82's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

3.0

There were things I really appreciated about this book, but as a whole, it didn’t quite come together for me. I loved the contemplations on being biracial and the erasure that comes with it. I thought the book was a touch too long and too repetitive and its potential impact suffered from it. I will continue to read Senna though because I think she has a lot to offer and if New People is any indication, her craft is on a very upward trajectory. 

bocasbri's review against another edition

5.0

i loved this coming-of-age story. i think its important to address the privileges of being white-passing, while still acknowledging the impacts that can have on someone’s identity. while this was an extreme version of her mom forcing her to pretend to be white, it was still very interesting to see how that impacted birdie’s identity. 

it was hard to see the pain that birdie went through being separated from her sister and constantly having to lie to everyone. i wish that we got a bit more clarity on her mom’s and sister’s perspectives, but that didn’t quite take away from my reading experience. i was glad to see birdie reunite with cole by the end of the book. i was afraid of cole not accepting birdie in, but it was so heartwarming to see her also aching for that reunion.

caitlinhume's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4

lavrendy's review against another edition

5.0

BEAUTIFUL

how does this not have more reviews