Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

20 reviews

amreynrt's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

I thought about what rating I wanted to give Betty. It is an incredible story written in a way that makes you forget everything around you, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. Betty is a story of racism, abuse, love and magic. It is about very flawed people being a family. It is about a very flawed society through the 1960s. It is about a man loving his children and giving life the most he could. It is about traditions and relationships all seen from a growing kid's eyes.

The set up is great, and the author mentions she tried to do justice to Ohio. You can feel the nature and the Lanes (not streets) of Breathed. You can feel the river and the winter and the hills. Tiffany McDaniel did an incredible job of writing a book from a child's perspective. In this book, everything feels terribly real. 

Never have I ever loved reading such a tough story. Many have said it this way, and I wholeheartedly agree - it is a book I would love to reread, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to put myself through this again. A heartbreaking story put together through incredible writing. I had never felt so uncomfortable reading a book I would give 5 stars to. 

I loved when Betty confronted Leland at the end.  All this time she kept quiet for the sake of Fraya and because she did not understand how and whom to tell this story. I wanted Betty to confront or tell on Leland throughout the whole book, and it felt so real that she would do so only at the very end. Not all stories are fair, not all secrets are told in real life. She did it not when it mattered the most, but she did it nonetheless.

So, so many traumatising scenes. Nova on the train tracks. Trustin. Fraya. Alka when she was a little girl. The kittens. The racism. Sometimes, it was a little hard to take it all in. Yet you just keep going, because it is written beautifully and because you want to understand those characters that feel maybe a little too real.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal death, Racism, Child death, Incest, and Sexual assault

Minor: Vomit

mountainfawn's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Grief, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Incest, Death, Bullying, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Colonisation, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Racism, and Racial slurs

mariep97's review

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Incest, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Racism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Colonisation, Sexism, Self harm, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Medical content, Abortion, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Child death

elliott_the_clementine's review

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-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? Yes

I will leave this book unrated. Incredibly written, painfully dark, and intensely important. Please check the trigger warnings before reading. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Self harm, Torture, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Gore, Ableism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Incest, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Rape, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Colonisation, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

miathorup's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Blood, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Mental illness, Incest, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Rape, and Murder

jordynkw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Incest, Sexual violence, Child death, Colonisation, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

julieames's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

heartbreaking and beautifully written 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Child death, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Abortion, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Cursing, Blood, Bullying, Sexism, Suicide, Animal death, Grief, and Incest

escsteger's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book ripped my heart into a million pieces and it also is just divinely beautiful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Incest, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Violence, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Outing, Rape, Animal cruelty, and Sexism

Moderate: Drug abuse

jas_kv's review

challenging emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide attempt, Incest, Death, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide, Child death, and Animal death

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Addiction, Bullying, and Colonisation

bookishfaye's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-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

This is one of those books that feels too personal and real to give any sort of rating too; it simply transcends that. This book will stay with me forever, & has absolutely split me in two, while being a strange comfort simultaneously. If you are going to pick this up, know it represents highly triggering content to the extremes constantly, and is in no way shape or form an “easy,” or “light” read. It’s tough as nails, just like Betty 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Animal death, Blood, Rape, Racism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Vomit, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Sexism, Self harm, Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Racial slurs