Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

7 reviews

theliterarylair's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

It might be because I'm not used to reading historical fiction, but I first found this book very difficult to get into. 

While parts of this story are certainly problematic (very questionable dynamics 🚩🚩), I feel happy to have had the opportunity to learn more about this truly inspirational woman.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, and Xenophobia

gris_zorra's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Abortion, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity

Minor: Xenophobia, War, and Racial slurs

leannanecdote's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Sexual content, Racism, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Classism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Moderate: Hate crime, War, Slavery, and Sexism

freshbatchofbooks's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia

Moderate: Antisemitism, Infidelity, and Abortion

Minor: Death of parent and Death

carriewnettles's review against another edition

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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Racism

Minor: War

satashii's review

informative slow-paced

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

2.0

I have more than a few issues with this book and I’m struggling to understand a lot of the glowing reviews.  For one, the first person narrative felt like the story was all tell and very little show.  There was a lot of exposition via stilted conversations that were not very believable and (quite honestly) I went back and forth between finding things tawdry and immature from a writing standpoint.  For a book labeled historical fiction I was pretty sure I was reading a young adult novel that was ticking off boxes of things modern best sellers must have. 

I was not impressed—hence the star rating.   Belle does not undergo much character growth and still comes off as a Mary Sue to the very end.  

The main character, Belle, is a real person but the historical accuracy suffers from the choice of first person narrative.  A quick search on her name told me a lot more about her than this book did and I don’t think the book really did her story any favors.  There is more than enough primary source material to have written a much better and fuller story.  The book itself is overlong, the climax happens at about the 70-75% mark and then we spend another sixty pages on stuff that really didn’t feel necessary.  A more focused book on one element of Belle’s life would have been more appropriate for the word count.   I’ve never read anything else by these authors but after this I’m not really inclined to. 

While I was sympathetic and interested in the viewpoint of a white-passing black woman who became a femminist icon of the suffragettes… this story really didn’t go into hardly any details about that.  it’s a side show to the story of Belle having cringily written romantic attachments to much older men.  It’s vaguely mentioned that she pretends to be younger than she is at the very beginning by six years but I wasn’t sure if she continued this ruse in addition to her other ones.  Add in the trauma she undergoes and… then what?  There’s so many things stuffed in by telling the reader about them that they don’t have very much emotional impact. 

Mostly, this book just made me frustrated and tired.  There’s a better story to be told here than the one I just read.  I would not have finished the book if my bookclub hadn’t chosen it as our monthly read. 

So one star for teaching me things about Belle’s father and another star for making me very curious about Anne Morgan and her friends.  It sounds like they were all very remarkable woman and I suspect Belle was as well…. I just didn’t like this version of her very much. 

I think I need another palette cleanser book to read after this one.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Abortion, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Classism, and Antisemitism

bookcasey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Colonisation, Antisemitism, Grief, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Bullying, Classism, Slavery, War, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Outing