denteaste's review
- 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? Yes
3.25
there was some magnificent writing but overall i didn't connect with many characters who lacked development to make them multidimensional and therefore lacked the emotional attachment to really care about certain things, and towards the end i felt like it was just a pile of traumatic events happening one after the other
i do believe it is an important book and i still enjoyed a big part of it
Graphic: Incest, Death, Suicide, Self harm, Blood, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Child death, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, and Bullying
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, and Lesbophobia
martinj'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
4.0
Graphic: Incest, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse
cajap96'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: Sexual violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Rape
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Drug abuse
etherisapoet'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: Toxic relationship, Racism, Xenophobia, Rape, Sexism, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Violence, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Bullying, Cursing, Child death, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Child abuse, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Incest, Animal death, Hate crime, and Grief
anxiousbookclub's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Abortion, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Misogyny, Rape, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gun violence and Vomit
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
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
zoedale'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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Abortion
kellyinbookland's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Rape, Drug abuse, Child death, Animal death, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs