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caroline_hutchison's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, and Violence
krissy0906'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
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, and Murder
maggiekateb'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
ashyq'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
jayisreading's review against another edition
5.0
They pushed people into the mud and then called them filthy. They forbade people from accessing any knowledge of the world and then called them simple. They worked people until their empty hands were twisted, bleeding, and could do no more, then called them lazy. They forced people to eat innards from troughs and then called them uncivilized. They kidnapped babies and shattered families and then called them incapable of love. They raped and lynched and cut up people into parts, and then called the pieces savages. They stepped on people’s throats with all their might and asked why the people couldn’t breathe. And then, when people made an attempt to break the foot, or cut it off one, they screamed, “CHAOS!” and claimed that mass murder was the only way to restore order.
(Bolded is my emphasis.)
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Excrement
_listeninc0untz'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
pastelwriter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First and foremost, I absolutely loved the writing of this novel. It was beautiful and poetic. I have seen people complain that it is too dense, but I think it is perfect. Do I think I understood everything that was said in the novel? No. But I also think this is the type of novel that is meant to be reread in order to get more out of it.
In addition, my reading experience with this book was incredible because of how it centered the story of two queer Black men. A lot of the narrative is spent on the characters around the protagonists sensing the beauty Samuel and Isaiah brought into the world by being themselves and loving each other. Even those who worked toward tearing them apart where unable to dismiss the light that they brought to the world. The other characters couldn't always understand Samuel and Isaiah, but they could not deny the beauty they brought to the world.
Furthermore, another of the wonderful things about this novel is that it does not focus on any one perspective. Slavery and the experiences of the enslaved are presented from a myriad of perspectives. The characters are never reduced to cartoonish depictions of good vs evil. Every single character with a point of view had nuance to them and were presented as having both good and bad in them. It was fantastic because even the truly terrible people you could see where they were coming from. The narrative text didn't depict their actions as any less horrible, but it made the characters feel more human.
If I have one complaint about this novel, it is that towards the end of it the author purposefully misleads you so you don't fully know what has happened after a certain plot point. The perspectives keep changing before you as the reader truly know the fallout of a character's particular actions. In this case, the plot point involves Samuel, Timothy, and Paul.
Other than that minor issue I had with the pacing/plotting of the novel, I thought this book was spectacular. I want to reread it eventually (when I am not as emotionally devastated. because trust me this book crushed me) in order to get even more from my reading experience.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs and Blood
aroguemonster's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape and Slavery
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
regnistegra's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Excrement, and Death of parent
aforeman'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: Slavery
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Slavery