Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

13 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.

ajay913's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Child death, and Pregnancy

Minor: Violence and Racial slurs

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

hanngigi's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Dementia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Violence, Confinement, and Trafficking

Moderate: Bullying, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Cancer and Infertility

chelsearednecksrising's review against another edition

emotional 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

Minor: Child death, Sexual assault, Classism, Violence, Dementia, Trafficking, Infertility, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, and Alcohol

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

des9120's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Child death, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Violence

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

spaghettireads's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

I know that people don’t read full captions, so I feel like I want to say off the top that I don’t think that I recommend this! It was a book club selection, and while it did provide a good discussion, I don’t think that any of us really loved this.

The sub-genre of historical fiction that generally features women looking away on the cover is not one that I usually reach for. While I did find the writing in this relatively engaging, and I did want to keep reading it to find out what the twist was at the end, I thought that the book had a lot of issues. Perhaps the fact that a real life historical tragedy has been written with the vibe of a mystery is the problem. As one of my friends pointed out, it felt as though just everything bad possible was happening to the characters.

And while I said that I was waiting for the final details to be revealed at the end, a lot of the book felt very predictable. My book club also talked about how the portrayal of people of colour, and mostly Black people in this story was pretty terrible.

So, as I said I wouldn’t recommend this. Thanks as always to my book club friends for a great discussion 😊

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence