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k_winchester's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Call it 3.5???? I guess???
Tbh, very conflicted on how to rate this. I really enjoyed reading it overall - it drew me in, I really enjoyed reading so much of it and found myself thinking about it a lot while I wasn't reading it and staying up waaay too late to read just a little bit more. There's alot of beautiful parts and beautiful things here.
But... there were also a lot of problematic things (not even counting the extremely problematic things I've now seen about the book and author - which I didn't know before/somehow missed when this book first came out and was crazy popular). But problematic things that I noticed like... pretty well every female black character is described as being large/fat. (Like there's no other body type for a black woman? If one was described, I missed it.) The way the language was written/the flow for Abileen and Minny was initially a little hard to get into, but once I got it, it was unique and interesting HOWEVER when I realized the author was a white lady (again, didn't know this going into reading or if i did know once upon a time, have since forgot) and it felt reallllly not okay for a white woman to be doing that. There was also a bit of a white savior element to the story at several points, which again was reallllly not great to see. Among some other technically "smaller" things that nonetheless made me go "yikes".
Without writing an entire essay (...too late? 🙃) there was *a lot* to appreciate, enjoy, empathize, laugh, have deep heartbreak over, and a lot of really good message that I can't discount - I actually loved a lot of it (hence the higher rating). BUT there were also a lot of Not Good things - mainly being that a privileged white lady is the one presenting them, which is sooooo YIKES - that I absolutely can't discount that either.
I guess... split the difference, and call it a tentative, super conflicted 3.5, I guess??? 😅😅😅
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Violence, Mental illness, Death, and Excrement
rchulin1's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Death, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical content, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, Self harm, Chronic illness, Body horror, Alcohol, and Blood
beccamay99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Sexual harassment
akirma'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Miscarriage
Minor: Pregnancy, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
ihavecoolhats6's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, Cancer, Blood, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Excrement and Vomit
atalea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Miscarriage, Classism, and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Violence, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Cancer, Excrement, Self harm, Vomit, and Infidelity
ilariasbizzera's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Infertility, Death, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Car accident, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Eating disorder, Classism, and Addiction
rachelkpope's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs
lilac12's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Bullying, Miscarriage, and Domestic abuse
michaelion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know what impact this book left on me. I assume an important one. I still love the book despite the controversy, maybe also in spite of it. My grandmother was born in Jackson. She and Mae Mobley would've been a week apart, if they were both alive and real, respectively. Her side of the story, what would've been my grandmother's I mean, isn't shown, but maybe someone story she would've known was. Maybe her auntie or cousin or someone who she went to church with, had her mother not moved out of the South before she was three months old. I don't know. The story's very real. Whether or not it connects to you personally, who doesn't have a soft spot for those?
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Racism, Excrement, Grief, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Miscarriage, Vomit, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Dementia, Infidelity, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicide