Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo

45 reviews

yaelm's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

אני מבינה את הרעיון מאחורי ההיפוך (נראה לי), אבל מעבר לשינויים נסיבתיים זה לא באמת שינה משהו בסיפור העבדות. אם המטרה היא להראות שגזענות זה דבר שתלוי בהתניה תרבותית ושכל טיעוני העליונות/נחיתות גזעית הם מטומטמים, אז כן - זה עבד, אבל אני לא מרגישה שהיה צריך את הספר הזה בשביל זה. מניחה שאני מפספסת משהו (באמת, רפרנסים תרבותיים למיניהם), כי לא מצאתי את זה ״סאטירה מבריקה״. ספר מאוד קריא עם קונספט מעניין וביצוע שלא עמד בציפיות מבחינתי (“Girl, Woman, Other” שלה שקראתי לפני שנתיים הוא אחד הספרים הטובים של השנה מבחינתי, אז היו לי הרבה ציפיות)

שימו לב שיש טריגרים רבים - כל סוגי האלימות

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Racism, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

kristietj's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Sexual assault

sydneybedell's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Death, Violence, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Excrement

franzi_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Xenophobia, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction, Torture, Sexual assault, Confinement, and Pedophilia

Minor: Pregnancy

niamh_georginaa's review against another edition

Although this book was written well and full of description (which I usually love in books) it was a bit too gritty at times and as a person who reads for comfort it did not make me feel comfortable. I guess that is my own fault for reading a book about slavery and expecting them to miss out gruesome details.I’m probably being dramatic but I found it too much 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit

amberinbookland's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Trafficking, Slavery, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Excrement, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Child death, Cannibalism, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

booksjessreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this book and definitely lived up to my expectations! Despite not having read all of her books, Bernadine Evaristo has become an auto-buy author for me and I can't wait to get through some more of her work!

The concept of this book was brilliant, combining two pieces of traditional slavery literature - the slaver's manifesto and the escape story - and allowed us to gain both the slaver and enslaved perspectives. The whole concept of white people being enslaved was what also drew me to the book. It was a lot of the profound and creative word choices in relation to this that really hooked me.

I noticed also that the slaver's writings in Blonde Roots drew influence from slaver's and travellers writings, such as Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness which added an eerie and uncomfortable sense to the manifesto presented in the novel. The dark humour crafted around white culture also added an interesting dimension and the satire in regards to this was so well crafted!

Whilst there were more "humorous" parts, it goes without saying that there are much darker themes at play and it did get quite heavy. However, it's a novel that really allowed me to engage and follow the characters and nevertheless I really enjoyed it! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Child death, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Rape and Miscarriage

nelsvy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Sexual violence

noless_nomore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

helendipietro's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

 I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one as I like the concept but found the plot itself to be anticlimactic. I definitely respect and appreciate the idea but didn’t enjoy it. I listened to this as an audiobook and found it to be an interesting mixture of history and satire. Evaristo, who is of Nigerian and British descent, describes the history of a slave, her family and her owners, with the clever twist that the roles of Britain and West Africa are reversed. In this book those who exploit, murder and rape have black skins, and the oppressed are white. 

Because of the subject matter, it is a very heavy read at times and is something that will stay with you afterwards. However, I found that the novel lacked continuity as the story went on and instead of switching perspectives, I would have preferred to hear more of Doris’s story. Overall, the content was thought-provoking but as a story quite confusing and hard to follow. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Slavery, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Violence, and Colonisation