Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

10 reviews

kalobar's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Rape, Violence, War, Sexual assault, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Infertility

mirandahedvik's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Murder, Violence, Rape, War, Genocide, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child death, and Alcohol

Minor: Excrement, Infidelity, Death of parent, Classism, Vomit, Sexual content, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Infertility

fionafsw's review against another edition

challenging funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Fact and fiction blend, past and present blend, as I read about the Nigerian civil war next to BBC headlines and couldn't stop thinking about the indiscriminate misery and human suffering Israel has unleashed in its current war in Gaza. It is impossible in March 2024 to read about starvation and not be reminded that 1 in 6 children <2 years are acutely malnourished in Gaza, with dozens dying of dehydration and malnutrition. The sheer desperation of a population brought to its knees and then beaten while on the ground translates seamlessly from the late 1960s to this week.

There's not much more I can say about this powerful novel except that Adichie manages to weave humour throughout to help the reader get through the horrors of war and to present something so alien to readers like me who have had the dumb luck of knowing nothing but peacetime through an individual, human lens rather than statistics or political or military manoeuvres. And for readers like me who had no idea about Nigeria, her fantastic writing brought to life every smell, taste, and sensory input. 

But where the book really excels, I think, is in describing tension between individuals in the most subtle way that still makes it obvious. Tension (sexual and otherwise) that you could cut with a knife, as if you were there, in the room, as the protagonist. As Richard might say, it's really quite fantastic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Colonisation, Genocide, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Classism and Grief

Minor: Pregnancy

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Medical content, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual assault, Grief, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, War, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Blood, Vomit, Sexual violence, Genocide, Gore, Classism, and Child death

Moderate: Colonisation and Animal death

eelizard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Deportation, Genocide, Gun violence, Classism, Death, Child death, Confinement, Police brutality, Violence, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Blood

the_last_bookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Misogyny, Racism, War, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Death, Rape, and Child death

Moderate: Racial slurs and Infidelity

betag1013'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? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Colonisation, War, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Gore, Infertility, Rape, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Medical content, Pedophilia, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Confinement, Sexism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Child death, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship

jj_99's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Death, Grief, Animal death, Child death, Rape, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Racism, War, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Murder, Violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, and Colonisation

rchristine11's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

I would not recommend this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, War, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Gun violence, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Gore, Child death, Classism, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death and Abortion

shiran_fa's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, Animal death, Child death, and Chronic illness