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gaynidoking's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is unflinching in its depiction of its source material. There is so much more than the summary plot of the pregnancies, as the everyday life of a slave in the US South was storied enough. This book definitely isn't for everyone. I had to read it in several sittings, and the ending shook me so deeply I had to take the above-mentioned time to let it sit before I could review it. But for those who can stomach it, it is an emotional and evocative read. I won't call it "eye-opening," because I already knew most of the atrocities that are depicted, but to have them narrated from a personal view hits that much harder.
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Rape and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death and Miscarriage
It is an unflinching depiction of slavery in the US south, with all the warnings that apply.alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Miscarriage, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Pregnancy, Slavery, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Abortion, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
summerlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Child death, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism
d0505's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Rape
Moderate: Violence, Infertility, and Hate crime
Minor: Animal death
canuhandledace's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death, Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, Torture, and Kidnapping
leah_duncan's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Racism
hillysreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Violence, Rape, and Sexual violence
deidrelj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Racism, and Pregnancy
serendipitysbooks'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
4.0
I loved the way the women, especially Nan, Sarah, Patience and Junie were fully realised unique individuals with a different backgrounds, beliefs, personalities, life experiences, hopes and dreams. They were also depicted as a community, sometimes supporting each other, other times holding each other to account. Some sections were narrated from the first person plural perspective, which emphasised this communal aspect of their lives. I think the author also did a good job in her depiction of Lizzie, the plantation owner’s wife, highlighting the incongruity of her railing against the impact of constant childbearing on her own life, while being actively complicit in trying to force it on enslaved women, for her own benefit. The plot of this novel encompassed the 1860 Texas Troubles, a group panic among slaveholders about an alleged coordinated rebellion by the enslaved, something for which actual evidence has never been found. I had not heard of this before and I always love it when I learn something new via my fiction reading. What some will consider magical realism and what others will see as traditional power and spirituality, plays a key role in the some parts of the plot. This won’t be to every reader’s taste.
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Slavery
tigger89's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
One of the things I thought was very interesting was how the many different traditions of the women came together when they held their spiritual meetings. It would have been very easy to write them as all-of-a-kind, but the author was determined to depict the variety of women who were enslaved during this time period. In this regard I believe she succeeded in four out of six cases; unfortunately, I found two of the women to be very under-developed, to the point where I knew little of their personalities or desires, aside from a brief sketch of their origins and a quirk or two. She knocked it out of the park for Serah, Patience, Nan, and Junie, though.
Another thing I think she executed very well was the shifting narrative perspective. Occasionally, the novel is narrated in first person plural: we knew this, we did this, we saw that. I noticed many reviewers were confused about this, asking who the first person narrator was. My interpretation is that it was the women narrating collectively before coming to the forefront one-by-one for the traditional third-person narration sections. In addition to the primary women, several other characters get to take turns narrating, showing the reader the perspectives of other enslaved people and shedding some light on why the Lucys might choose the actions they did. None of their actions were excused, but I appreciated being shown the reasons.
As a side note, the Texas Troubles of 1860 was an actual historical event that I'd never heard of before in my life. I don't know if my education failed me or if it's just one of those things that doesn't really get taught outside of Texas. If you're also not familiar, I'd suggest waiting to google it until after you've read the book. Just know that the final part of the book is grounded in real history.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Cursing, Death, Child death, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Infertility