Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

21 reviews

themichellegray's review

challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I don't have any words that could do this book justice; the writing is absolutely beautiful and the story will shatter your heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Islamophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Violence and Gaslighting

wrinnola's review

emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. Easily a 5 star book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Islamophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, and Xenophobia

3arth2kaye's review

inspiring sad medium-paced

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

3.25

i DESPISED Ocean and his extra self. It felt so rushed the romance gave me whiplash and the journal plot point??? why?? it just… never really went anywhere.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

donotdisturbimreading's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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 book was beautifully written, but nothing could prepare me for the last few chapters. It was heartbreaking in the best way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse and Hate crime

kkxmac's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Bullying, Islamophobia, and Racism

kamryn_grace_'s review

emotional informative sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs

meagangrace's review

emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Violence, Stalking, and Hate crime

Minor: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Cursing

readerorwateva's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Islamophobia, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Car accident

beanie_bob's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

the good:

• Ocean <3
• Shirin’s wide range of interests was realistic and helped shape her into a unique and well rounded character. I felt like I completely understood why she acted how she did and how burdensome it was to around bigoted people
• Her opinion on hijabs being a kind of power or comfort to those who choose to wear them is very dear to me. I love seeing this popularized.
• I was completely sucked into the story and read this in a little more than 24 hours

things I’m unsure about

• There are some things that feel  inauthentic about the 2002 setting. Yes, the characters use AIM and have old bulky computers but I just don’t believe that they’d all have cell phones? A couple of 2010s buzzwords words were also use that didn’t seem to fit the time period like ‘microagression’ and ‘binge-watched’ 
• I don’t understand why it seems like Shirin is narrating to us in a way that breaks the 4th wall. “It will probably surprise no one to hear that I was terrible at ignoring ocean,” and “ I’m not sure whether it will surprise you to hear” - who is she talking to? Why is she conscious of us?
• Things kind of come and go? The Global Perspectives class never comes up again. It seems like Yusef was kind of inconsequential, except to remind Shirin of what kind of boyfriend was expected of her.
• Imbalances in show vs tell

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Hate crime