Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

24 reviews

ladyaligator's review against another edition

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Grief, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Infertility and Dementia

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

way2sweet2's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

ldavis519's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

5.0

LOVED this book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Rape, Dementia, Pedophilia, and Death

sarah_amy's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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 book both had and broke my heart. I cared so much about Rill/May, her siblings and all the other children, and Avery's investigation among it all. I went in completely blind with this book, so was floored to know this is based on real events and that Georgia Tann was the person behind all the horror. I was less interested in the political side of it all and the romance felt a bit forced (not a bad match, just unnecessary). It would have been a 5 star on the investigation and flashbacks to Rill/May's past alone, but the politics/romance almost felt like I was being interrupted by a side story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Cursing, Rape, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Based on the child trafficking/illegal adoption agency of Georgia Tann. Lots of details of abuse and allusions to death that went on in the foster homes involved. Many of these children were adopted out illegally and without the consent of the birth parents - some were outright stolen like in this story.

lindseymeown's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved the movement between timelines from granddaughter Avery’s present day narrative, following the threads of her curiosity about her ailing and aging grandmother while oscillating back and forth between her duty to her prominent family name and her own desires for her life trajectory, and the story of Rill and her siblings navigating the Great Depression, a whole gaggle of shantyboat river children caught up in Memphis social worker Tann’s web of forced, and thereby false, orphanhood and Rill’s resulting quest to keep her family together. 

Y’all, the reality behind this historical fiction story, included in an author’s note at the book’s end, is actually wild— like, a 30-year track of what was essentially state-sanctioned child-trafficking in the name of child protection and then labeled as adoption. During her work with the adoption agency known as the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis,  Georgia Tann made the equivalent of ten million dollars in today-money by literally stealing children from poor people and selling them to the highest bidder, placing babies and young children into situations of molestatjon, abuse, neglect, and leading to the death of who knows how many while they waited to be moved into permanent new homes with their wealthy new families. 

Like, this one left me with a big how and why and what the hell, so I’ll be over here in a research rabbit hole for a bit if you’re looking for me. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Child abuse

fragrant_stars's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

would've rated it higher if not for the timeskipping back and forth between present and past. was not all that invested in the present day bits of the story, felt like a hindrance at some points.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Child death

Moderate: Death of parent and Death

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Rape

jacquibear's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Dementia, Classism, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Pregnancy

wifeslife's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Addiction, Infertility, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

em_simar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, Death of parent, Rape, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Trafficking