Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

348 reviews

zydecovivo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’m sure I have heard of this book before this year, but I wasn’t convinced until I read Star Child, a biography of Octavia E. Butler. After finishing, I wish I had read this in high school. It’s dark and dismal. But Lauren’s journey feels more real than any other dystopian novel I’ve read. The future Butler portrays also feels more real than any other I’ve seen. It is almost prophetic, especially since I am writing this in the year 2024, mere months before the novel starts. The world is ravaged by climate change, corrupt governments, addiction and illness, and a society in the process of crumbling. Lauren is a young adult who has known nothing else except the stories the older adults have told her about a bygone golden age. And she needs to survive. Could there be anything more relatable to anyone born in the last 30 years? I immediately borrowed the second book and am excited to see what’s next. I can also see why this could be seen as a religious text. I feel like this novel as a whole is one where you could re-read multiple times and still find new meanings and subtext every time. This is one I want to buy for my bookshelf and is added to my favorites list. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Police brutality, and War

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Slavery

ams5x9's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Rape, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Sexual assault, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Abandonment, Blood, and Animal death

Minor: Incest, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cannibalism, Racism, and Police brutality

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Child abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Slavery, Racial slurs, and Child death

Minor: Vomit

bookishstone's review against another edition

It had too much religion for me in a world too close to our own. Plus, I don't think I'm ready for a dystopia that feels this close to reality. I tried but it's too hard.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

whoa_is_me's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Addiction, Sexual assault, Murder, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Child death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Police brutality, and Slavery

lindseygcarden's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Incest, and Pregnancy

bubblybelle's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

wow. this is such a harrowing story that bears terrifying resemblance to modern day America. Octavia Butler’s words and infinitely quotable and leave me feeling simultaneously heartbroken and hopeful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Child death, Classism, and Trafficking

bootsmom3's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Animal death, Gun violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Violence, Slavery, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Medical trauma, Trafficking, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Addiction, Blood, Confinement, and Murder

Moderate: Police brutality, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, and Cannibalism

teej7's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

 This will be my 3rd Octavia Butler novel. I was really looking forward to this one, and it felt spooky reading this in 2024 when that is the year this 1993 novel takes place (at least to start.) 

I saw a lot of people had problems with the format of the dates, and the skipping days and sometimes weeks. This didn’t really affect my reading experience. I actually somewhat liked it, there’s a lot of periods throughout the book where they’re just traveling for days with nothing that significant occurring, so it makes sense. 

Overall, I thought it was a smart concept. The events that take place that lead us to where the novel starts, this post-apocalyptic but still capitalist society seems very realistic, something that could very well happen in our lifetime. Until you start asking too many questions. Like how are property taxes a thing but people are setting fires everywhere and squatting wherever they can find? 

For a while, I thought this book felt very juvenile. In a YA type way - and I couldn’t figure out if I just thought that because our MC is 15 at the start. I think the problem is just what N.K. Jemison speaks of in her forward, Lauren feels too much like what a middle aged woman THINKS a 15 year old is like. I get that she’s very mature for her age, but it felt a little trite during some parts. Specifically Earthseed which I felt lacked depth --  a lot of it was just too surface level for me to consider it believable for these fully grown adults to be following her blindly into the seed. 

And then we can’t forget the elephant in the room.

The age gap relationship. What is going awnnn. Why is this the second wide age-gap present in one of her books that makes me feel icky? Lauren is repeatedly comparing him to her father, understandably so,  the man is the same age her father was when he disappeared. Is Butler trying to tell us Lauren is looking for her father in other men? Or is this a genuine connection? I’m unsure. All I know is I’m 2 books into the year and this is the second book I’ve read that has a icky relationship with someone old enough to be their father. Again - what is going on.

 Regardless, the relationship with Lauren and her father touched me, and was one of my favorite things about this book, reminiscent of my own relationship with my father.

I wish we learned more about Lauren’s abilities and the drug her mom took that left her with these abilities. Hopefully that’s expanded in the sequel? 

Speaking of the sequel - I feel like the ending to this book does feel like it’s missing a chapter. I have a feeling this is another case of the author sacrificing the ending for sake of blending the story into the sequel. 

You might finish reading this and think I hated this book. My opinion is far from that. I really enjoyed this book as I do with most of Butler’s books. Despite the icky age gap relationship.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Grief, Death, and Death of parent

maxicosi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Racism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Abortion, Outing, Animal death, and Blood