Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Passing by Nella Larsen

11 reviews

booksillremember's review

challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-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

5.0

Masterful, loved the complex layering of emotions, themes and social identities. 

It's a gripping story with sapphic undertones, an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous ending. Would love to read the novel from Clare's point of view. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Suicide

Minor: Infidelity and Hate crime

maraudergrl90's review against another edition

fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Infidelity

rieviolet's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

This novella packs a lot into a little more than one hundred pages. 

In the foreground there's race and the concept of passing, with all of its moral implications. I think the theme is explored really well, and through the different characters we can observe all of its nuances. 

The author is also good at delving deep into the main character's psychology. The relationship between Irene and Clare is fraught with conflicting emotions, and it is build upon in a very clever way until the shocking breaking point.

I really appreciated the themes and the prose, but I wasn't completely swept away by the story, hence the 4-star rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Misogyny

Minor: Infidelity, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Murder, Suicide, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, and Classism

lateromantic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Outing

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Blood, Hate crime, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Cultural appropriation, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Classism, Stalking, and Colonisation

ginzura's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Hate crime, Violence, Toxic friendship, Racism, Racial slurs, and Grief

eimear_jane's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Death, Outing, and Racism

toffishay's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.0

I am surprised that I waited so long to read this book; I really enjoyed it! This book explores themes of race, identity, and what we own others who we are in community with through the story of a Black woman "passing", moving through society as a white woman. Really though, the plot is about the relationship between Clare and Irene, what these two woman want out of their lives...and what they are willing to do to get it. If you like Sula by Toni Morrison (which I love) you'll like this book :) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Death, Sexism, Classism, and Infidelity

Minor: Emotional abuse, Grief, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Hate crime, War, and Bullying

shadereads's review against another edition

challenging mysterious 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

Minor: Hate crime

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

 - Look, you don't need me to tell you this classic is an excellent book. It's fantastic, full stop. It reads easily for an older book: I could not put it down.
- What I didn't realize is that it's also essentially a psychological thriller, as we watch Irene try to figure out why she's drawn to Clare, and as Clare takes ever more risks to insert herself into Irene's life.
- Also, big time queer subtext vibes in here. I'd love to see a retelling or adaptation that plays that aspect up. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Suicide

Minor: Hate crime, Antisemitism, and Slavery

dee30's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Racism