Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

31 reviews

readbycarina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Violence, Slavery, Grief, Physical abuse, Confinement, Rape, Child death, and Torture

Moderate: Colonisation, Suicide, Racial slurs, Death, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy

kcbatts's review

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Racism

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Physical abuse

Minor: Rape

tkretzer's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

A richly descriptive narrative of the horrors and reality of enslaved people in the Antebellum South. Hiram is the son of a plantation owner in Virginia, but he’s the Black son and therefore enslaved. Possessing the gift of a photographic memory, which forgets nothing but his mother, sold off when Hi was 9, his father is kind to Hi and often showcases his memory abilities at society gatherings. 

This book beautifully contrasts the beauty of magical realism with the dark reality of slavery. I felt, as much as possible without living it, the gut-wrenching pain of families being separated and never knowing what became of each other. Hi learns he has the ability for ‘conduction,’ which is not the typical form we think of when thinking about the Underground Railroad.  His ability then leads him on a path he couldn’t have guessed and to a life beyond his imagining. 

This isn’t one to read quickly, but to let yourself ponder and be immersed in. The writing was beautiful and lyrical. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Physical abuse

adearen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, Physical abuse, and Trafficking

tascaraudo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

This book sucked me in! I kept thinking about it throughout the day when I wasn't reading it. The world here is so much more than what the main character and we the readers know and understand, and the sense of mystery and unknowing is prevalent throughout the book. Magical to read. Took me a while to get used to the longer sentences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

aardwyrm's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Trafficking, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, and Confinement

Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Death

machenn's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

jennifer_bush_73's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

What if the Underground Railroad had some help from incredible magic powers? Hiram Walker, a man born into slavery, finds his life unexpectedly entangled with the Underground when strange happenings in his own life catch their attention. 

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, and the book really took a hard look at the lives of enslaved black people in US history. I also liked that the story worked magic into the amazing work of the Underground Railroad without being reductive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, and Slavery

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual assault

seanml's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

3.5

The Baker was the best, and it took me way too long to figure out that Harriet was Harriet. 7/10. 

Highlights: The Ghostly magical realism, the shifting and incredibly gray moralities. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual assault