Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

232 reviews

breedee95's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

5.0

Octavia Butler knew something! This book is timely, eerie, and just really puts all of us right in the middle of all of our fears. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction

jackgoss's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Rape, Violence, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Cannibalism and Slavery

gabriella_'s review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

This was a great introduction into Octavia Butler for me. The writing style was gripping and the characters were fantastic. The plot was heavy but in a realistic way (especially for a dystopian, it made sense and is even more eerie to read in 2024). I wasn’t a big fan of the “starting a religion” stuff, though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Vomit, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Drug use, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Body horror, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Child death, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, War, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

maggiegirouard's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual assault, Addiction, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Animal death, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Drug abuse, Rape, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, and Gun violence

lindseygcarden's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Incest, and Pregnancy

bubblybelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

wow. this is such a harrowing story that bears terrifying resemblance to modern day America. Octavia Butler’s words and infinitely quotable and leave me feeling simultaneously heartbroken and hopeful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, Classism, and Trafficking

bootsmom3's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Gun violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Violence, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Medical trauma, Trafficking, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Addiction, Blood, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, and Cannibalism

teej7's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

 This will be my 3rd Octavia Butler novel. I was really looking forward to this one, and it felt spooky reading this in 2024 when that is the year this 1993 novel takes place (at least to start.) 

I saw a lot of people had problems with the format of the dates, and the skipping days and sometimes weeks. This didn’t really affect my reading experience. I actually somewhat liked it, there’s a lot of periods throughout the book where they’re just traveling for days with nothing that significant occurring, so it makes sense. 

Overall, I thought it was a smart concept. The events that take place that lead us to where the novel starts, this post-apocalyptic but still capitalist society seems very realistic, something that could very well happen in our lifetime. Until you start asking too many questions. Like how are property taxes a thing but people are setting fires everywhere and squatting wherever they can find? 

For a while, I thought this book felt very juvenile. In a YA type way - and I couldn’t figure out if I just thought that because our MC is 15 at the start. I think the problem is just what N.K. Jemison speaks of in her forward, Lauren feels too much like what a middle aged woman THINKS a 15 year old is like. I get that she’s very mature for her age, but it felt a little trite during some parts. Specifically Earthseed which I felt lacked depth --  a lot of it was just too surface level for me to consider it believable for these fully grown adults to be following her blindly into the seed. 

And then we can’t forget the elephant in the room.

The age gap relationship. What is going awnnn. Why is this the second wide age-gap present in one of her books that makes me feel icky? Lauren is repeatedly comparing him to her father, understandably so,  the man is the same age her father was when he disappeared. Is Butler trying to tell us Lauren is looking for her father in other men? Or is this a genuine connection? I’m unsure. All I know is I’m 2 books into the year and this is the second book I’ve read that has a icky relationship with someone old enough to be their father. Again - what is going on.

 Regardless, the relationship with Lauren and her father touched me, and was one of my favorite things about this book, reminiscent of my own relationship with my father.

I wish we learned more about Lauren’s abilities and the drug her mom took that left her with these abilities. Hopefully that’s expanded in the sequel? 

Speaking of the sequel - I feel like the ending to this book does feel like it’s missing a chapter. I have a feeling this is another case of the author sacrificing the ending for sake of blending the story into the sequel. 

You might finish reading this and think I hated this book. My opinion is far from that. I really enjoyed this book as I do with most of Butler’s books. Despite the icky age gap relationship.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Grief, Death, and Death of parent

maxicosi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Racism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Abortion, Outing, Animal death, and Blood

ashleybakerwrites's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is everything The Road by Cormac McCarthy wished it could have been. I'd say this is going to go down as one of those books that never really stops being talked about. It's my first Octavia Butler, but I immediately can tell why people are drawn to her writing style at the least. Loved the big concepts for a young girl- and although she was mature for her age- there were always things that kept it believable. It's definitely not a light read- read the TWs, nothing really happens "on-screen" it's talked about from a journaled perspective of what is going on. While the stuff about Earthseed may grate against some people's sensibilities, if you read this understanding it's not supposed to convert you to anything, you'll get around it. My favorite scenes were those that actually happened on the road. The village bits are so necessary for context, and Octavia really gets you into 'normal' before you are forced from safety. I loved almost everything about this book. I'd recommend the audio book- but I think you might experience this a bit more intensely by reading it more slowly. There is a way older, barely legal romance that develops at the end of the book- but in the time period/frame of reference it's respectful. Maybe could have done without that, but I think Octavia was trying to FOIL and be realistic with that one. So I wouldn't avoid the book because of that. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, and Alcoholism