Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

360 reviews

adriennegg's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.0

Beautiful storytelling by Celeste Ng that takes you inside the world of each of the Lee family members as their story unfolds. Her writing included accurate depictions of racism, relationships, hidden desires, finding one’s place, love and self-loathing. I loved that the book shared each member’s perspective on the events that unfolded and allowed you to see the family’s unraveling from different views. It’s a great study on the pressures parents put on children and the sometimes unrealistic expectations we groom them to live up to. It’s tough to love due to the themes but hard not to in Ng’s portrayal of them. It’s a well-written piece that I’d recommend.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

heidipretzel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mojoelvial's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • 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

This book is a huge reflection on family systems and their breakdowns. Concepts of racism, the golden child,  the scapegoat, and parent-child resentment are introduced from the perspectives of each character. The book has several time jumps  that give a jarring effects however may make the content challenging to follow for the reader. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

fancyjess_party's review

Go to review page

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

2.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mariekejee's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book is basically everything I fell in love with when reading Little Fires Everywhere, but on steroids.  It's a story about how we talk without communicating, how parents impose their trauma onto their children, how unspoken thoughts and feelings can grow into something ugly and toxic, how we hurt each other in the name of loving each other, and all of it despite our best intentions.

I absolutely loved my time with this book, and I wept when I finished it. In fairness, I wept during it too.  Celeste Ng has a remarkable talent for writing character studies and complex families. They feel so real, and therefore it is so painful to see the slow descent into dysfunction (or, some might argue, the continuation of dysfunction through generations).

I'm usually much more articulate on what I loved and didn't love when writing reviews, but this book just took me by surprise. I knew I would probably like it, but I loved it. I was absorbed by it. I cannot form eloquent thoughts besides "this is a really, really good book". So there, there's my review.

Sidenote, but I have to say it: the scene where Hannah realises Jack loves Nath is so fucking painful. The way she knows his longing because she too has longed for her family to notice and love her??? fucking kill me right there. I was sobbing. Equally so when her mother finally gives her a hug. This kid deserved so much more than the scraps of attention she got.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

frey's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

Absolutely devastating read, in the best way possible. Not the genre i usually read but by the quarter-way point i was unable to put it down for long. Even as a non-American it was such a beautiful read with beautifully believable characters. The way of telling the story was so well done and my heart hurt so much for Hannah the longer I read.
Not to mention, finding out at the very end that Lydia didn't actually mean to kill herself broke my heart. The last chapter of the book was so beautifully sorrowful that it nearly broke me. The line from Nath's point of view at the very end of the book: "When, a long, long time later, he stares down at the silent blue marble of the earth and thinks of his sister, as he will at every important moment in his life." I still think about this line weeks later. Nothing encapsulates grief better I think in the book than this line. I will never get over it: "I will always think of you in the most important moments of my life" is grief in its most beautiful form.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elenats's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

4.25

I loved “Little Fires Everywhere” and have been meaning to read more books by Celeste Ng for a while. Her writing style was very familiar from LFE and I enjoyed the way the story flashed back and forth in time. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sloan_emmi92's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Wow. This book was one of the most heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read. The way everything was portrayed made me feel like I understood perfectly, and the issues discussed and represented were put into perspective. I loved this story, and it’s so so sad but makes you reflect on life. This is so lighthearted read- that’s for sure. It would’ve been a 4 star, but just wasn’t QUITE there but such a great story. (I come back to the review and change someday- I haven’t decided yet:))
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

breshani7's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

I enjoyed the interwoven perspectives of all family members. This was a soul crushing read because most of the events could have been resolved if the family just vocalized their inner feelings. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

adeavila's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced
  • 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? It's complicated
This book is so incredibly emotional. I cried genuine tears for the characters and I felt their pain. All of the characters have complexity and weave a story that creates a beautiful tragedy. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings