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caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, and Colonisation
Moderate: Cancer and Sexual violence
kelseyland's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An epic, generations-spanning story about three families whose fates are intertwined, from the colonization of Northern Rhodesia by the British to the present and future of Zambia. The prose is sharp and so artful that it's easy to miss the extraordinary way that Serpell depicts the ripple effects of seemingly insignificant moments or actions on the course of people's lives. Definitely not an easy read but one that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, and Medical trauma
ege's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book describes the lives of three generations of women in Zambia. We start in the perspective of a European colonizer, and I found his characterization refreshingly believable, but I'd avoid this book if you don't like reading from the perspective of racist characters. This book feels very gritty and real, but as a result, it is exhausting to read. For example, starting at about a quarter of the way through the book, I started feeling dread in the pit of my stomach every time a new male character is introduced, for fear of what sexual/domestic violence is going to happen this time. I'm pretty sure basically every way that a man can mistreat a woman or girl happens in the course of this book. In summary, I think this is one of those times where the star system does the author a disservice; this book is very well written, and is effective in what the author's goal was, but boy, was it just a lot to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Pedophilia
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