Reviews

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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baileyjack's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

savannalope's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.25

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was such an unique way to discuss race and colorism. I loved how complex the characters were and that all the characters felt very real to me. She didn't make anyone feel like a stereotype or a token(except for MAYBE some of the white people, who IMO deserve to be stereotyped). I thought she seamlessly incorporated gender and sexuality into the story as well. This is a book that I enjoyed while reading but even more than that a book I will continue to think about.

pandoramedusa's review against another edition

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4.0

I liked this book for the topics that were discussed and the intergenerational storytelling. The first third of the book was a little slow and I wished we cod have gotten even deeper into certain topics.

hannamlindsley's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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? No

4.75

euphorvia's review

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

marinaemoore's review

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4.0

This book covered a lot of ground. Racism, colorism, domestic violence, lgbtqia+ issues to name a few. I liked the spotlight on these issues, and felt like the author wrote the story in a way that was thought-provoking for the reader. I know I certainly did some contemplating and reflecting when reading this book.

I took a star off because, to me, it didn’t feel like any of the characters were fully developed. I think we could’ve gotten more insight into their pain and emotions. It just never quite fully got there. For me, it felt hard to connect with or fully understand any of the characters because of that.