Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

1434 reviews

mjones14's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense 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

4.75

Very very good. Only reason it's not a 5 stars is I found the ending relatively predictable. The voice in this steals the show - as someone who studied creative writing, I feel so exposed it was terrifying 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Grief, Colonisation, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Bullying

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Rape

Minor: War and Islamophobia

ajzou's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

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

4.75

Reads like a tell-all memoir with an unreliable narrator. Nice beach read that’s not romance

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Rape

Moderate: Racism

niamhgray's review against another edition

informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I can’t fault this book. It’s insightful, reflective and something I just couldn’t put down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

12_honking_geese's review against another edition

challenging funny tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

gwynethagbenyo's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was a really gripping read! June was ridiculous but understandable. Satires are really interesting because you know that certain things you read aren't meant to be taken at face value, but you're not sure how the author is going to resolve the conflict. I kept wondering if June would be punished for her actions, or if the story would take it to a place of true realism and end without justice because that's kind of just how things work in the real world. Kuang ended up going with the latter, which wasn't exactly satisfying, but made sense in the context of the story. The whole ordeal reminded me a lot of Caroline Calloway and I think ultimately it reads to me like a white woman's transformation into her racist final form.

The use of the setting of the publishing industry and the importance of social media in that field really sets up June's resolution to double down and paint herself as the ultimate victim. It's weaved in in small moments throughout the story before the end where it becomes June's literal goal. I'm not sure if a white person would read this and see what real world phenomena it's trying to point to, but I think people who are already aware of the issues people of color face in the publishing industry (or, I guess, all industries) will be able to pick up on the true message and digest June's descent into complete racism. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

abbysingh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Rape, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Islamophobia, Medical content, War, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and Vomit

oliviab28's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Racism

gandalf_a's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Grief, Bullying, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Confinement, Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, Alcohol, and Colonisation

bubski_mcboo's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Watching the protagonist dig herself into a deeper hole at every turn was hard to follow, but I did so with morbid and rapt attention. Perhaps it's because I see a version of myself in her that I slapped down at eighteen and have kept firmly in check for over a decade. Is there a shitty Juniper Song in me? Is she in all white women? What a dark thought.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Death, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, War, Forced institutionalization, Incest, and Islamophobia

katlynann's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

5.0

R.F. Kuang the writer that you are oh my word

This whole book had me on the edge of my seat wondering what more could happen

The way that’s Junes pure obsession with everything Athena does is integrated into the story is genius (she even ends up getting her starbucks order) it’s Junes every thought, every single tiny detail

Also how Junes backwards thinking is written and the way she justifies herself is craziness in a good way it’s written so well that you hate her guts but have to know her fate

I believe that this is a masterpiece and she be talked about for the rest of eternity

Athena you deserved better

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism