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elise_allberry's review
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
julianareynolds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This book definitely hit many tiers of greatness that are difficult to achieve in a singular story—raw emotions, conflicting characters, and a meaningful plot. I could feel the author’s care and nurturing of this story through every word. Every detail mentioned would come back full circle to make sense in the end, connecting past, present, and future into a single thread. I will definitely be rereading this book later this year after I digest it fully.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Incest, Death of parent, Rape, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Self harm, Abortion, Animal death, and Bullying
grisgrisgris'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Infertility, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Abortion, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Outing, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Medical content
louise010's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Racism, Death, Suicide attempt, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Incest, Animal death, Racial slurs, Child death, and Death of parent
sderrig's review
- 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
Graphic: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
jeannelovesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Where I came from was a family of eight children. More than one of us would die in the prize-winning years of youth.’
Written by Tiffany McDaniel, the novel is based on her mother’s childhood in 1960s rural Appalachia. Betty, born to a white mother and Cherokee father, is the only Carpenter child who shares her father’s dark hair and complexion. For this she is relentlessly bullied; at school, in the community, and by her own family. Meanwhile the extent of tragedy - murder, rape, accidents, abuse - that befalls the Carpenter family is nothing short of rampant.
Deeply disturbing, Betty’s an unforgettable read. But both its brilliance and its shortcomings stem from the fact it’s a family memoir. Imagine writing an exposé of your family’s darkest secrets, with dear old Mum as the central protagonist. And she’s still alive, which is remarkable given her upbringing but tricky territory to navigate. The challenge lies in portraying the victims & perpetrators as anything other than heroes & villains and consequently some family members, Betty included, are curiously one-dimensional. Another issue is the freedom, or lack of, to deviate from the family script. Without a narrative arc, we get A Series of Unfortunate Events interspersed with brief moments of respite which typically focus on Betty and her father, Landon. The pattern became so predictable that after every heart-warming exchange I steeled myself for the next onslaught.
The brilliance lies in the author’s descriptive powers. Mum’s accounts of abuse include details so cruel and calculated there’s no doubting their authenticity. The sense of time and place is vividly imagined and the sheer resilience of Betty and her own mother Alka is inspiring. For me this was Alka’s story. Ordeal heaped upon ordeal and somehow she soldiered on.
The author evidently shares the same strength. Apparently the first agents she approached refused to believe that the women in her family had experienced such abuse. Thank goodness she persevered because memoirs as powerful and hard-hitting as this have the potential to break the taboos that force silence on so many girls and women.
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
georginatomlinson's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
marie's review
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion and Addiction
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
celinechdh's review against another edition
reading this book broke me: it was so harsh and beautiful and sad and depicted the horrible truth, without covering any of it. the diff between the magical world of betty’s father, his connexion to nature, to realness and beauty, and the horror of real life was so wonderful
tw: everything
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Xenophobia
rotatinglibrary's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Abortion, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, and Self harm
There are Bible verses at each chapter heading