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mads_reads_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Stalking, and Racism
Moderate: Incest, Colonisation, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Classism, Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death, Suicide, and Trafficking
nukie19'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Rape, Blood, and Gore
meresand'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Sexual assault
unboxedjack's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Grief, Suicide, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Murder, Racism, Torture, Hate crime, and Suicide attempt
dpaulk'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Murder, and Rape
crybaby_chloe'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
4.25
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Violence, Death, Torture, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Rape, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
Minor: Excrement
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Violence, Rape, Grief, Confinement, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Torture, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, and Misogyny
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Suicide, and Alcohol
vedpears'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
4.5
I truly wish that the railroad aspect wasn't written so literally - unfortunately, I question if it does a disservice to the subject. I know too many people of different backgrounds who are now admitting that they think that "it wasn't as bad as -they- say it was".
I also wish the ending was a bit more concrete, but perhaps that is fine because the ramifications of slavery in the USA are still present and the disparity between black and white Americans is far too great, still - the story isn't concretely done yet in real life.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Police brutality, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Blood, Sexual violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Body horror, Sexual assault, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Medical content, Suicide, Child abuse, and Infidelity
snailslowreader's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
The critical weakness of the book was how I couldn’t connect to the characters. Whitehead’s literary and detached writing style worked well for his details (which seem all the more terrible the more casually they were described), but not so much for feeling what the characters felt. In addition, while the ideas and intentions behind all of the alternating perspectives are interesting, I found some of them to be too short (like the slave catcher Ridgeway’s perspective) or unnecessary (like stationmaster’s wife Ethel’s perspective, which could’ve been more captivating when shown through Cora’s point of view). The varying length and importance of the perspectives ended up making the book feel uneven, rather than creating a complex picture.
Whitehead is a talented and ambitious writer, and I look forward to reading more by him. It so happens that this book in particular, even with a great concept and solid plot, didn’t quite do it for me.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
darren_cormier's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, and Slavery
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault