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isabelsophiex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction and Death
katecm's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Mental illness
brekaboujie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The end was a mix for me - it felt realistic and basic which isn't a bad thing! About 15 pages before the end I suddenly thought "wait a sec this is ending soon and I have no idea what would be a good or satisfying ending here". I think the fact that it wasn't super satisfying weirdly made it work, it's just life, you just keep going with it and that's fine.
Overall, I really enjoyed the way it was written and Gifty was an interesting character to follow. Different from what I'd usually go for, but a positive different!
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
csolomon101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The vision for this novel is really quite extraordinary. It’s a tiny slice of life in the present day, but an entire world of exploration as each layer of Gifty’s life gets peeled back, examined; like a bone getting broken so it can be reset and healed properly.
Transcendent Kingdom is a masterclass in character work— we get to know Gifty, her motivations, her joys, her pains. We watch her as she moves from a shy and closed off person, unwilling to share any tender part of herself, into someone who is realizing that she can’t isolate herself forever. We understand her fears and personally, understand her questions and frustrations with the lack of concrete answers.
What spoken to me in particular was the grappling with faith and religion, and trying to reconcile the importance of that upbringing with a life & world-view that is rooted in, and dominated by, science, reason, and logic. I found many of Gifty’s questions and perspectives incredibly relatable, though I think she came to a softer conclusion about God that I have. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a book with this kind exploration of faith before, but I have to say I felt deeply at home in it.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide attempt
stellef's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Grief
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I particularly enjoyed the content about Gifty's research as well as her thoughts and struggles with the science:religion binary. While I very much fall on the science side, the emotional depth of the novel and the way it portrays how one can exist on a 'spectrum' of belief was incredibly well done.
I do not understand how such a relatively short novel could have managed to cover so many topics in such a profound way. I'm annoyed I put off reading this for so long, and I'm now excited to read Homegoing.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Racism, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Minor: Religious bigotry
acline'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? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Mental illness
siebensommer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
my need to diy my mother‘s mental health
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
katrinarose's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Suicide attempt