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mszy_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Child death
Moderate: Terminal illness, Misogyny, Alcohol, Abandonment, Racism, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
lexib_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
badclassical's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a viscerally difficult book to get through. Read the content warnings and tread lightly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Child abuse, Torture, and Racial slurs
beachybookstack's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure about this book at the start because it was assigned for a writing class I had a few years ago, but I came out of it very positive. For an assigned reading it was worthwhile. I probably would not have read it otherwise though.
jdibiccari's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
mariegenepi's review against another edition
4.0
One of those books whose violence we accept to endure because it is worth the powerful story that unfolds. A story of strong women and desperation.
jl27's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so dark, jarring, and incredibly beautiful all at once. With it being set where I live, it was even more engaging because some of the places are familiar. Parts of it were tough to get through (serious TW for all sorts of abuse), but it was excellent overall.
wollstonecrafty's review against another edition
commemorating banned books week 2022
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is a brilliant book. And a brave book. Not just because it talks about hard and personal things, but also because it talks about everything else, too. Another review on here complains that Allison didn't deliver on the 'white trash' promise, because she reveals that poor whites in the South also sometimes have love for each other, and their culture has some beauty and power. That reviewer wants this book to be more of a blood-curdling expose and less of a full, personal story. But this is exactly why I loved Bastard Out of Carolina.
I had a few quibbles with the writing. Like: too many of the chapters end with a repeated phrase. White supremacy is just an absent center of the writing, never fully dealt with.
I had a few quibbles with the writing. Like: too many of the chapters end with a repeated phrase. White supremacy is just an absent center of the writing, never fully dealt with.