Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Poza królestwo by Yaa Gyasi

81 reviews

linesiunderline's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Some books display their brilliance to you almost immediately. Transcendent Kingdom is a book that reveals its brilliance slowly, quietly, until by the end you are left knowing that there is so much to this work that you have seen only some of its beauties, and even so, you are amazed.

I am only beginning to appreciate all of the things that are breathtaking about this book, that I know will linger with me, becoming part of me and how I see the world. You’re left with more questions than answers. Invitations to consider big things and small and the story of your own life.

Gifty will feel as real to you as anyone you’ve ever known. Her humanity and complexity may be the most impressive thing about this book. It’s certainly one of the most memorable. She is the heart of the novel.

Transcendent Kingdom will be one of my top reads of this year. I cannot recommend it highly enough and also have to praise Bahni Turpin’s stellar audio performance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

Minor: Sexual content, Excrement, Medical content, and Pregnancy

shikha20's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, and Suicide attempt

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy

derigibleplums's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

It just didn't grip me and I didn't like the main character (not that that is a requirement for me thinking a book is good). An interesting play between science and religion but nothing transcendent as it were.
For me, it was an interesting peek into another life, a different world, but didn't emotionally move me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Suicide attempt

gracecooper's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

Wonderful. Had to stay up all night to finish

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt

rainybunny's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

gabnug's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I wanted to like this more than I did

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal cruelty

clariced's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Racism

lucyduller's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I found this book to be so different than what I was expecting. It is so understated in a way that you only really see the whole picture by the end of the book. It tells stories we don't hear often, if not at all, and there is not necessarily a blatant lesson it is trying to teach you, which is really beautiful because not all books have to teach you lessons. Not every story ends with a beautiful arc and a happy ending, sometimes stories just need to be told because they are lived experiences you could never understand any other way. This book a look into the lives of a rather small circle of people, well one person, but Gyasi does so in such a thorough and intense way that it feels so intimate and personal, so detailed. And the time-changing and structure is really flawless. 

It truly is a beautifully tragic book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Racial slurs and Abandonment

teo_rodas's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Death of parent