Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

16 reviews

brynpemery's review

dark emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, War, Child death, and Genocide

Moderate: Infidelity and Xenophobia

apthompson's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Deportation, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Genocide, and Violence

wynnebirchmaple's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

Sarajevo during the 1990s.  A harmonious society becomes a partitioned war-torn ruin. There is genocide, nationalism and failed aid supports. This work centers around an artist’s response to remaining when she has sent her family onward and becomes trapped in the country she has always loved. The narrative is told beautifully and for this reader is not trauma porn. It’s a necessary story to tell and as all witness the world’s stage and fights for power and resources, a cautionary tale as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Deportation, Death, War, and Confinement

Please keep in mind, though the ending is not all flowers and butterflies, there is survival and the opportunity for truth to be further witnessed. This book is tastefully and artfully done even though the story of Bosnia is one of horrors. Author, Priscilla Morris practices restraint and consideration for her readers and greater purpose. There’s a reason this book made it to the 2023 Women’s Prize shortlist.

leah_grace7's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Confinement

nibs's review

challenging emotional informative

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I'd been interested since hearing Leena Norms talk about it on the Women's Prize longlist (and then it got to the shortlist). It took a while to find it in a bookstore but was so worth it. 

Thoughts after finishing it: 
I'm so emotional. I like historical fiction, but the author has done an amazing job pulling me into Zora's world. I feel it. The imagery as well - of black butterflies, or her apartment building, Sarajevo as a character itself. I understand why it was shortlisted for the Women's Prize. 

In the acknowledgements it says how the author's family's experience parallels the book -

her father rescued her maternal grandparents from the siege. And the artist parts were inspired by a real landscape painter, her great uncle Dobrivoje Beljkašić.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Child death

Moderate: Confinement

astronautin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Confinement

Moderate: Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Xenophobia, and Grief

Minor: Rape, Genocide, and Religious bigotry

feebles640's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, War, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death and Confinement

amyford's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Grief, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Confinement, and Excrement

bookbinbaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

3.5

A world I would not know or recognise myself, but an insight to what other people do experience when war installs itself in their homes, villages, towns, countries and lives. Emotionally shattering as you see Zora's world ravaged and turned upside down by powers outside her control but having a very real and increasing impact on her life and those around her, and showing how when environments change unexpectedly what it can do to a person/people. Harrowing to read in most parts, but you're carried along as Zora and her small tight knit community look after one another and try and maintain their sense of community and self expression in times of hostility, uncertainty and senseless violence, as best they can. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement and War

Moderate: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Islamophobia, Child death, Vomit, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, and Excrement

Minor: Infidelity and Rape

ciaomara's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Body horror, Infidelity, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Rape