Reviews with content warning for Death - My Monticello

I lost the ability to enjoy reading for a little while, sometimes I have anxiety cycles where it feels too hard? My brain is already too full and I spend my time unspooling things rather than attending to reading something. That happened right after I started this book, and it was the wrong book for the moment for me. But the fact that it took me a long time to finish is not a reflection on it, just on my brain! The stories are well done, moving, effective and clear eyed. The titular story could easily have been a novel of its own, but I liked where it left me, too

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sunah's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved this, I was hooked from the very first page!

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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

3.0

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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

What an amazing collection of stories.

CWs: Racism, violence, death, gun violence, hate crime, slavery, grief, car accident, pregnancy, ableism, chronic illness (asthma), cursing, infidelity, police brutality, murder, fire. Moderate: Fatphobia, rape, sexual content, war. Minor: adult/minor relationship, sexual assault, blood.

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mmccombs's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.5

Johnson is an author I will be watching out for! Her language is deft and clear, I felt hope drip from each word. Even though every story was devastating in its own way, they also showed all the ways that things are worth fighting for. I kind of wish the main story, My Monticello, stood on its own, though I understand why it was included with proceeding, much shorter stories. I wasn’t as invested in the first handful of stories, it almost felt like it were just biding it’s time for the jewel of the collection, but I did enjoy how everything linked thematically. A truly fantastic debut!

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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libbyhb's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.0

This is an engaging and well-written set of short stories and a novella, and the novella was the definite standout to me. I did really enjoy the short stories, though! I liked how simple the premise of My Monticello was - a group of neighbors, two of whom are black women descended from Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, escape from a quasi political apocalypse by staying in the Monticello house. I liked the cast of characters Johnson put in this group, and the dynamics they brought to the situation (wanting to go back, not wanting to go back, feeling out of control, feeling able to take over the structure of their new little society, etc). Overall an intriguing and heartbreaking read, really recommend.

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