Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

129 reviews

ifigeneiatsa's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Wow. I have so many thoughts about this book. I don't think I've ever read a dystopian book that is so realistic. It is a book that shows you how it would be like living through an apocalyptic event. You feel like you are there with the characters, experiencing every moment. It is scary how close to our known reality this is. Most dystopian novel describe a society far ahead in the future which bares little similarities to our world. In this book, Butler describes a society that is slowly failing. There was no big event, an asteroid or a pandemic that started this decrease. Instead it was the shortages in raw materials. A lot of the infrastructures are still in place, the police, universities, money, but they are flawed. It is also scary to see how corporations are taking advantage of people and basically using them as slaves. There is no true bad guy, there is not a sole person you can blame and put all your anger to. There is extreme violence everywhere. I also found the religious aspect really interesting. Aside the dystopian theme, this novel describes the birth of a prophet, Lauren, as she begins shaping Earthseed. It is fascinating the see it develop. It is a comment on how religion is born out of necessity. The need to survive during hard periods and hope that things will become better.
The only part of the story that I really did not like was that the main character (18 years old) engaged in a sexual relationship with someone who is over 40 years her senior and it was described as a good/ common thing. This is deeply problematic and it isn't described as a both thing in the novel. Truly disappointing.
Overall, it is scary how real and close the world that Butler described in the 1990s, is to today.

Quote: "Why personify change by calling it God?"

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

katadamz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

This will be a book that haunts me. I suspect it will cause nightmares for years to come. I think for that alone, this is an excellent novel. Prescient, as well. 

I’m still tossing around what I think about the portrayals  romantic relationships in the novel (both mixed race and age gaps). I wonder if those are just jarring against how accurate the rest of the novel felt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Slavery, Trafficking, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Sexism, Rape, Cannibalism, Child death, Racism, and Sexual assault

frankieclc's review against another edition

3.5

This book is absolutely not for the feint hearted. Clearly a well thought out book, and fairly well written but boy did I not enjoy a moment of reading it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Racism, and Slavery

Minor: Incest

niebezpiecznygroszek's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Violence, Drug use, Grief, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Death of parent, and Rape

mmestitches's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

5.0

Powerful boo, but stressful to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Classism, Ableism, Cannibalism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Incest, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Colonisation, Death, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Murder, Grief, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, War, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Sexual content, Self harm, Sexism, Rape, Gore, Police brutality, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Dysphoria

riverleafing's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Racism, Addiction, Rape, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, and Violence

noahsingh's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual assault, Racism, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Police brutality, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, Addiction, Incest, and Cannibalism

Minor: Gore, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Classism, and Cancer

decie's review against another edition

4.75

I'm usually not a fan of dystopian books, but this one is stunning. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Blood, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Animal death, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Grief, Excrement, Child abuse, Child death, and Rape

Moderate: Slavery, Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Domestic abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Incest

throwback682's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

Reading this book in the year before its action takes place is both troubling and validating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child death, Body horror, Classism, Drug abuse, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Addiction, and Slavery

Moderate: Police brutality, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Domestic abuse, and Racism

The violence that comes as people scramble and fight for resources at the end of the world is expected but

an 18 year old girl being with a 50+ yo man was creepy, unnecessary, unexpected, and kind of took me out of the story.

denlia's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Cannibalism, War, and Sexual violence