Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

16 reviews

htracy0884's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

One of the reasons I like seeing the show/movie before the book (though I always shift into “I have to read the book before I can see the show/movie” whenever something new is announced) is the investment of time and the undeniable fact that no matter how good a show is, the book is nearly always better.  The Outlander books, save for the first, are like 850-1100ish pages each…1. That’s a lot of reading to commit to if I can determine interest in a series more quickly, and 2. There’s always way more context in books, things that either don’t translate to film to are cut for time but nevertheless interesting details, sometimes (as is the case with Outlander) entire plot lines…so it’s like getting a whole bunch of great bonus content.  I never would have picked up Outlander, not in a million years, if I hadn’t been bored out of my head and it was the last show on earth I hadn’t seen during quarantine.  I didn’t even like the show that much, but kept watching because there was literally nothing else left, then grew to love it and appreciate it for what it was.  I was still hesitant to buy the books and while they get more complicated and dense as time goes on, the show isn’t getting more episodes for that.  

Which leads me to…this book was super slow to start and I have had it on my nightstand for ages, reading 50 pages here and there but never excited to pick it back up.  In true Outlander fashion (I feel), once it picks up, it rolls.  It’s not a fast story by any means, and think it may have been the author who said this is a story about a long marriage, not a story about the Jacobites or time travel or WWII or any of the things that happen…it’s the very messy and tumultuous creation of a family.   In short, a marathon, not a sprint.  Even she doesn’t know when or how it will end and she’s been writing these books for 30 years.  And that’s all I have to say about that…as much to myself as anyone else.  Her writing style remains the same, reliable, witty and intelligent way it’s always been.  The story weaves in some really mundane and equally intense themes, some sweet and concise, others graphic and violent.  They are what they are, no more, no less.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, and Slavery

tiana_king's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Abortion

Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, and Kidnapping

sharrivel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Colonisation

Minor: Racism

suz_n_van's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, and Grief

marionrosa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexism, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Racism, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Alcoholism

Minor: Abortion and Vomit

coralie_michon's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

l’histoire est tjrs aussi incroyable. par contre, les chapitres sont interminablesssssss et les 1200 pages ne sont pas nécessaires, beaucoup d’éléments auraient pu être coupés et le roman aurait été meilleur…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Racial slurs, and Trafficking

Minor: Abortion, Colonisation, and Homophobia