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ceruleanseas's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Bullying, Death of parent, Cancer, Xenophobia, Classism, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Suicide, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Rape
lisettemarie's review
4.25
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
_annika__'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
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Grief, Alcoholism, Genocide, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Addiction, Racism, Death, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, and Violence
ksmith_23's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Colonisation, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Bullying, Genocide, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
mefrias's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse
river23's review
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Colonisation, and Racism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Bullying
abloom's review
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicide
annemaries_shelves's review
- 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
There's so much to unpack in this novel about specific Dakota experiences (such as the Minnesota-Dakota war of 1862), intergenerational trauma, the importance of family and community, the reciprocal relationships with the land and water (and how modern day colonial farming practices are actively harming those relationships), and most importantly, the literal and metaphorical importance of seeds.
And while I'm sure it wasn't the goal of the author, I personally learned a lot about Dakota history and colonization in Minnesota, especially with respect to the role seeds have played in historical and contemporary Dakota culture.
While Rosalie was our main character and provided the majority of the perspective for the novel, we did spend some time (but not enough) with a few other women. I would have loved some additional chapters with Marie Blackbird or Gaby Makepeace. I felt they had a lot to offer the story and could have rounded it out even further. Some POVs from Rosalie's family (especially her mother or grandmother) would have also worked well.
My favourite part is probably the absolutely stunning nature writing that was woven throughout this novel. If you're a fan of Braiding Sweetgrass or other nature writing I think you'll love this aspect.
Overall, The Seed Keeper was a beautiful story with memorable characters with a strong message of strength, resilience, and hope. It was an absolutely pleasure to read and I made a lot of annotations of various passages and scenes that stuck with me.
It also didn't hurt that it was partially set in the deep Minnesotan winter and I could relate while reading with my current frigid snowy Canadian winter.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: War, Suicide, Sexual violence, Addiction, and Forced institutionalization