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bigolscrewup's review
- 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
5.0
Forgiveness, they shouted, all the while committing their wrongs
5/5🌟
How can a debut novel be this good ? Honestly the thing that surprises me more is the fact that it's a short book ( only 300 or so pages ) even though the story spans over two centuries, exploring each sister's family through the years. When I first started the book, I was sceptical, because it has a lot of characters and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep all the characters and their origin in place, but the way it was written, like a collection of short stories all related to previous generation made reading this book enjoyable.
Among all the books I've read in this particular genre, I loved reading it the most and that's all down to author's storytelling and the research behind it. I was able to learn more about slave trade and how it started out in countries like Ghana and the relationship dynamics between the slavers, the middle man and the British.
Especially with Esi's family line, It was disheartening, reading about the cruel laws that permitted the enslavement and wrongful imprisonment of innocent people in those times and it is heartbreaking to acknowledge the fact that it still persists today.
Graphic: Police brutality, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Racism, War, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Mental illness
cecilialau_'s review against another edition
4.5
It was gut-wrenching and tragic and criminally cruel, and heart-achingly stunning/heavy all at the same time.
Full of individual experiences - all including prejudice, discrimination and injustice - of about 250 years and seven generations. The subtlety of our world’s history and relationship with racism lives on to this day, and we cannot deny that or deny the history lesson that this book provides so vividly and thoroughly.
Favourite stories/chapters out of the 14 would have to be Ness, Kojo and H.
I need this to be required reading. But I also acknowledge the very heavy subject of colonialism and white superiority complexes. It is confronting but that’s how reality works…
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Excrement, War, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Drug use, Torture, Vomit, Rape, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Racism, and Religious bigotry
rhi_'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Confinement, and Slavery
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Pregnancy, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Classism, Terminal illness, and Rape
chelle22's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Classism, Racism, Infertility, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Violence, War, Suicide, Torture, Homophobia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cultural appropriation, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Colonisation, Alcohol, Child death, Death, Police brutality, and Sexual content
booksillremember's review
- 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
Graphic: Police brutality, Drug use, Slavery, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Trafficking, and Colonisation
itsmaryssae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Slavery, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Grief, Death of parent, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Rape, Mental illness, Torture, and Racial slurs
fionafsw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Classism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infertility, Grief, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Drug use, Slavery, Sexual assault, Deportation, Abandonment, Death of parent, Trafficking, Police brutality, and Death
0hannah0banana0's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, War, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Death, Vomit, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Addiction, Violence, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Genocide, and Drug use
redefiningrachel'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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Sexism, War, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Rape, Torture, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, and Drug abuse
Minor: Bullying
linhsreadinghour's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, War, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Drug use, Death, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, and Rape