Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

24 reviews

notyourhana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Sexual assault, Medical content, Abortion, Colonisation, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Drug use

Minor: Car accident

notallbooks_mp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Animal death, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Classism, Drug abuse, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Incest, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Infidelity, and Gaslighting

deniseh's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Confinement, Abortion, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Slavery, Genocide, Incest, Colonisation, Cursing, and Vomit

ryann_400's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This is MUST READ, no book has challenged my concept of time, family and politics like this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Torture, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Blood, War, Violence, Rape, Police brutality, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Gun violence, Incest, Blood, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

wquindley's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective 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

4.0

i love stories that follow families across generations. i think they’re fascinating. this book is set in south america which was really interesting both because of the culture and the political issues that occurred in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Colonisation, Sexual violence, and Rape

Moderate: Abortion, War, and Racial slurs

erinwolf1997's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Abortion, Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

chiaraaaa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abortion, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Genocide, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death

funkyyicken's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Torture, War, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

pogue's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, and Torture

chlorentine's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.5

I can say nothing about House of the Spirits that Latin American reviewers haven't said better. Although I was familiar with the basics of some history in South America, I learned an astonishing amount about Chilean 20th century history specifically. Socialism is inseparable from a history of Latinoamerica and the genre of magical realism itself.

That history is going on in the background of a simple family dynamic, but the writing and the rich imagery throughout keeps you engaged until the politics come into play in the final act. I think the Del Valle/Trueba family is best summarized in the moment Clara tells Alba that all families have at least one member infected with madness, meanwhile their family has the madness spread out evenly amongst them all. Every striking image from the first chapter returns by the end, and so much has happened between the first and last chapter that you feel nostalgia for kinder times alongside the characters. Truly haunting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Classism, Torture, Violence, War, Child abuse, and Abortion

Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Police brutality

Minor: Ableism