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zinelib's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Minor: Rape
birdomens's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Death, Hate crime, Torture, Trafficking, Body horror, Confinement, Abortion, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, War, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Violence, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
syllareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery
Minor: Rape and War
paulineerika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I've seen some other reviews criticize the plot of this book as being too meandering or drifting and I can see that. I think the summary provided is misleading: this isn't a clear story about three women and their lives throughout the end of the Civil War. In fact, I wouldn't really call it a story about three women at all. If anything, it's Rue's story, but it's really more about the community in the aftermath of the Civil War. I think one reviewer had it right: the story felt like a mood, not a plot. It's not one that's easily defined or even described.
Atakora's writing is wonderful and I enjoyed it, but the book itself was not as enjoyable, if that makes sense. I was stressed a lot when reading it, waiting for the worst to happen. And while the axe never quite falls, there is a lot of tragedy and trauma that the characters experience almost casually, like it's just a regular part of life, which is heartbreaking. (Of course, given the setting of the story, I guess that's not so surprising.) The ending is tentatively happy, but not completely satisfying.
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
madeleinebay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Torture, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Murder, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault
lindseydunn'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
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
michaelion'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
3.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Racism, Torture, Infidelity, Confinement, Miscarriage, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Child death, Grief, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Dementia, War, Misogyny, Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Infertility, Murder, Abortion, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Medical content, Terminal illness, and Stalking
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Murder, Slavery, Medical content, Sexual content, Racism, and War
Moderate: War, Torture, Violence, and Rape
ka_cam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Torture, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Death, Child death, and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Incest, and War
Addition content warnings: Lynching, KKK-style violence; also much of the above content warnings apply to/involve enslaved people and/or childrensusannah_knox'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Abortion, Miscarriage, and Slavery
Moderate: Torture and Rape