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rwoodrum29's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Vomit, Violence, Abortion, Bullying, Death, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Colonisation, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Addiction, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Murder, Classism, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
hedgehogreads01's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Well written, some quotes worth writing down, the character of Frannie Langton captured my attention every time I picked up the book, her voice loud and clear (even in laudanum stupor, it seemed), demanding the freedoms, the treatment each human being should have.
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Murder, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death, Toxic relationship, and Torture
2treads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Collins really put in the work to research and present a story that explored more than just plantation life and what it meant for slaves. That Frannie was chosen as a test subject by two white planters to see how far they could stretch and assess her intelligence. Using her as their instrument of torture against her own in a macabre dance of discovery to prove unfounded and incorrect perceptions about Black bodies.
We move from the plantation in Jamaica where Frannie is nothing more than a way for both Langton and his wife to exercise their spite and hateful beliefs to the manor of Benham and his madame where she is yet again positioned as a piece for either to use. Here, Frannie falls for the beautiful mistress of the house, ignoring all the signs that here lies her destruction and end.
These phases of her life are told to the reader by Frannie as she awaits trial for murder. Slowly, we uncover just what took place in the coachouse and how Frannie felt as she committed these unspeakable acts to how she maneuvered between a spoilt and depressed white woman and the man who wants to control both their lives.
A really well-written debut.
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, Torture, Racism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Racial slurs, Murder, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Body horror, and Addiction
Minor: Vomit and Abortion
booksjessreads'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: Racism, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Colonisation, Blood, Slavery, Torture, Racial slurs, Murder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse
eli_jw'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Addiction, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Torture, Drug abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Abortion, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Incest
cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Addiction, Blood, Miscarriage, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Confinement, Incest, Murder, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Torture
mariathelibrarian's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Colonisation, Racism, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Incest
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
📚 This book does feature a forbidden sapphic romance, but I appreciated that neither party had an existential crisis over it.
📚 This book is full of complex, complicated characters and it doesn't let anyone off the hook for the choices they made.
📚 It's a gothic novel not in the sense of the supernatural, but in that the truth of our racist history is grim and unspeakable.
•
Content warnings: addiction, alcoholism, child abuse, child death, death, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotional abuse, incest, homophobia,medical content, medical trauma, miscarriage, misogyny, physical abuse, racial slurs, racism, rape, sexism, slavery, sexual violence, suicide, torture, trafficking, and violence.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
dewitnadine's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Slavery