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jessi_lou95's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Excrement, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Death, Colonisation, Gore, Sexual violence, Child death, Torture, Murder, Blood, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Sexual assault
sereyn's review
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Colonisation, Death, Violence, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Excrement, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury
mereadme's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Violence, Death, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, and Racism
amris'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
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Colonisation, Racism, Torture, Rape, Slavery, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
waybeyondblue's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, War, Racism, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🔥 The plot: Told in Jamaican dialect, The Book of Night Women is the story of Lilith, a woman born into slavery on a sugar plantation at the end of the eighteenth century. Lilith has a dark power inside her that the other women sense from her birth. They want to enlist her in their plot for revolt, but Lilith's dreams of transcending her position do not align neatly with theirs.
I don't know where to begin reviewing this book. I should say upfront, as if the setting on a slave plantation weren't enough to tell you: this is a brutal read. Currents of violence seethe below the surface of even the calmer passages, erupting in moments of breathtaking cruelty that you'll be thinking about long after reading.
Lilith is one of the most frustrating characters I've ever read. She is not an avatar for the modern reader; she is vain, selfish, and often acts stupidly. There are many moments where you want to reach into the pages and shake her. Don't have a crush on the plantation owner, he's evil! Listen to Homer, she's your only ally! And yet, her thoughts and actions are entirely understandable, even inevitable, given her experiences, and it's gut-wrenching when she cannot outrun the inhuman violence doled out by her masters.
James also gives depth and nuance to the particular evils of each person involved in slavery, from the white men who use it to sate their desires to the white women whose protected femininity is shaped in contrast to enslaved black women. He challenges the reader to resist the common narratives around slavery - ones focusing on love, or justice, or creating a false sense of closure to this period of history - instead creating a sweeping story of strength and survival that expanded my understanding of this period in time.
🔥 Read it if you're ready for all of the above, and want to read an outstanding book about slavery and colonisation that speaks back to established narratives.
🚫 Absolutely check TWs before reading if you might be triggered, as there are loads of them. If you struggle reading books written in dialect, perhaps opt for the audiobook
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Grief, Violence, Colonisation, Rape, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Slavery, Racism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
reachingforstardust'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Gore, Racial slurs, Torture, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Blood, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
betag1013's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Colonisation, Cursing, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Torture, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Dementia, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Alcoholism, Classism, Colonisation, Murder, Slavery, Dementia, Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity and Suicide
eegah'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
not a light read at all, but probably one of the best.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion and Animal death