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che1s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and War
mandaazzi'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
4.75
Graphic: Addiction and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
siaeme12'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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Classism
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, and Colonisation
Minor: Cancer
sydneylount'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, and Death of parent
cheazcakeguy's review
- 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
4.75
Highly recommend, though this isn't a light read and it will tear your heart out.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
marissasa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
ridern2002's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Alcohol
sarah984'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
dinipandareads'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? It's complicated
3.5
This isn't an easy book to review and there's nothing I can say that others haven't already said and done so much better than I ever could, too. This is a highly-lauded piece of literary fiction and part of me understands why but maybe this book was just too smart for me because I often struggled to really "get" it. I empathised with many of the characters and I wound up spilling tears over them by the end but, at times, it was hard to feel fully immersed in the story and to grasp what the author was trying to share. Perhaps it was the writing style that also didn't entirely work for me as we switched from third-person and first-person perspectives almost every other chapter. Add to that the wide array of characters and shifting timelines as we get their life stories from childhood to adulthood, and it wasn't always easy to keep track of who's who and what's what. That said, I loved seeing how each character's life intersects with another and I think Orange masterfully weaves together the fabric of their stories to create one big, captivating, yet heartbreaking tapestry.
Although the novel discusses the beauty, pride and fortitude of the native community, it is not a happy story. It explores weighty subjects including race, colonialism, intergenerational trauma, identity and belonging, mental health, abuse, and addiction. There is a lot of power behind the author's writing and although each character's narrative was difficult to read it also emphasised the need and importance of their stories being heard. Some of the quotes in this hit so hard and I think one of them sums this story up rather perfectly:
“The tragedy of it all will be unspeakable, the fact we’ve been fighting for decades to be recognized as a present-tense people, modern and relevant, alive, only to die in the grass wearing feathers.”
How utterly devastating. 🥺
Ultimately, while it wasn't always smooth sailing, I'm glad that I didn't give up on this because it was rewarding to work through. I can see why it's so well-loved and I'm glad to have finally read it. I don't doubt that although it may not feel like it right now, this will be a story I'll continue to think about long after I put it back on the shelf.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Mass/school shootings, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Colonisation
torturedreadersdept'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion