Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

9 reviews

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.

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

rhaselpaq's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

boonenatural's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

amberlinanderson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

This book will make you experience every emotion: love, sadness, fear, disgust, happiness, anger, hope. I had no idea what I was getting into, and I’m too young to have ever heard of this real life scandal. I loved this story so much, but it also broke my heart. I definitely recommend giving this a read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Classism, Death, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Torture

Moderate: Rape and Infertility

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

mandi4886's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Ableism, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Police brutality, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Antisemitism

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

2.75

Essentially this book, aside from the really upsetting atrocities committed against the children, is about a rich, well-connected white woman who can't fathom that people could be treated like objects to be bought and sold, as if she didn't grow up in a formerly Confederate state. The main present-day character and the author's note really show these women's privilege when they talk about how unbelievable the buying and selling of humans was during Georgia Tann's years of human trafficking, even though the institution of slavery was supported by law in the United States for hundreds of years.  Also, there was really no reason to use the g-slur repeatedly (and almost as an endearment?) for river-dwelling folk. The story was solid, but the writing wasn't for me. A whole lot of over-telling instead of showing and a simile in every third sentence. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Grief, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Racial slurs

giulia_and_books's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

This book is heavy and heartbreaking, made all the more intense by the fact that it’s based on true events. The characters and their experiences felt really real to me and it was hard for me to put the book down. 

I wanted to know how the present timeline and the past timeline met up in the end. I’m not usually one for multiple timelines and POVs, but Wingate handled it really well in this story. Typically I tend to want to focus on just one story line more than the other, and while I did find the past more interesting than following Avery around, I didn’t mind the bits and pieces of the present that added to the rich story from the past.

I have to mention that I love Wingate’s author’s note and guide in the back of the book. It was really interesting to read about how the Foss family came to fruition in her mind and how the characters found their voices.

I would recommend this book to most people, if they can handle the heavy trigger warnings and reality of this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia

ifersinklings's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a heartbreaking fictionalized account of what happened during the terrorizing reign of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's home in the 1920s-1950. I wasn't aware of this situation and now I must go read all the things about this subject. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Trafficking and Torture