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kcrawfish's review against another edition
4.0
An incredible look at slavery through the eyes of a 20th century interloper.
When Dana finds herself inexplicably linked with a white, slave owning, plantation running ancestor in her family tree, she, a 20th century black woman, is forced to witness and live first hand through the trauma of slavery in the pre-civil war era U.S. When it becomes clear that only life threatening situations can control wether Dana comes to Rufus's aid or returns to her own time, the stakes in her relationship with the child become incredibly high.
This book was one breathless moment after another. Human dignity and decency were truly turned on their head in this horrifying look at history. I highly recommend.
When Dana finds herself inexplicably linked with a white, slave owning, plantation running ancestor in her family tree, she, a 20th century black woman, is forced to witness and live first hand through the trauma of slavery in the pre-civil war era U.S. When it becomes clear that only life threatening situations can control wether Dana comes to Rufus's aid or returns to her own time, the stakes in her relationship with the child become incredibly high.
This book was one breathless moment after another. Human dignity and decency were truly turned on their head in this horrifying look at history. I highly recommend.
evinazebili's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing book, giving you as the reader the perspective of both living in our time looking back at the historical trauma caused by oppression. But also let’s you feel the pain, the internal conflict of getting to know you oppressor and how life would be without our freedom.
cindy_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
finini's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
4.5
kaylynm37's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shazzalovesnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
I'm infuriated.
literaryk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
My first Octavia Butler book! Very interesting plot, and a welcomed challenge to think about the antebellum south and the people that could be find in it.
miss_merna's review against another edition
5.0
There are many books which have very noticeable flaws, but you can’t help but give 5 stars to because they’re so goddamn interesting. Kindred is one of those books which I can overlook for; the semi-weak plot; the secondary characters who have been granted little depth; plot holes; and the overuse of plot mechanism.
The story is just too fascinating and draws you in till the last page. The premise of the story is very simple. Dana, a young and well-educated black women, is sent back in time to help her ancestor, Rufus, who is a slave-owner.
Kindred is one of those books which prefers to focus on delivering a subtle message more than anything. Themes of morality, ethics, change, time and race are delivered in an underlying manner. The novel considers whether you can change someone whose environment has profoundly influenced them and shaped their nature or are they bound to repeat the behaviour and actions of their forefathers? Can you truly and completely blame a person for their low morals when their environment, which they have been born and bred in, has predisposed them to act in such immoral way? These questions popped into my mind as I was reading the book. Kindred does not strongly highlight these questions, but they are tied to the story somewhat and configure into your mind.
Another particular aspect of this book is time travel. It’s never explained in anyway and it seems to be only used as a plot device. You only know that when Dana’s ancestor is in dire trouble, Dana is pulled back in time to help rescue him, but when she feels as if her life is at risk, she can travel back to her own period. It’s never clarified and it’s quite illogical even for a science-fiction novel. However, most people consider this novel to be more of a fantasy, which I agree. Essentially, it seems this book is stating that time travel, in itself, makes as little sense as slavery does.
Lastly, Dana and Rufus were very well-developed characters. The way they changed and grew into different people over a period of time made them quite realistic. The others were sub-standard. Dana’s husband was horribly developed, and I had very little understanding of his character. Although, I suppose, he was created so the author can highlight the way attitudes and beliefs modify over time.
I also read [b:Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|152519|Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|Harriet Jacobs|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418788224s/152519.jpg|330710] after I finished reading Kindred. It was a based on a true story, written by a female slave who escaped bondage, and it may have influenced Kindred to some degree. For instance, Rufus seems to possess somewhat similar characteristics with the real-life, villainous slave-owner, named Dr. Flint, from [b:Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|152519|Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|Harriet Jacobs|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418788224s/152519.jpg|330710]. I suggest reading Incidents in the life of a slave girl before picking up Kindred. It’s as interesting as Kindred and, like I said before, it’s based on a true story.
The story is just too fascinating and draws you in till the last page. The premise of the story is very simple. Dana, a young and well-educated black women, is sent back in time to help her ancestor, Rufus, who is a slave-owner.
Kindred is one of those books which prefers to focus on delivering a subtle message more than anything. Themes of morality, ethics, change, time and race are delivered in an underlying manner. The novel considers whether you can change someone whose environment has profoundly influenced them and shaped their nature or are they bound to repeat the behaviour and actions of their forefathers? Can you truly and completely blame a person for their low morals when their environment, which they have been born and bred in, has predisposed them to act in such immoral way? These questions popped into my mind as I was reading the book. Kindred does not strongly highlight these questions, but they are tied to the story somewhat and configure into your mind.
Another particular aspect of this book is time travel. It’s never explained in anyway and it seems to be only used as a plot device. You only know that when Dana’s ancestor is in dire trouble, Dana is pulled back in time to help rescue him, but when she feels as if her life is at risk, she can travel back to her own period. It’s never clarified and it’s quite illogical even for a science-fiction novel. However, most people consider this novel to be more of a fantasy, which I agree. Essentially, it seems this book is stating that time travel, in itself, makes as little sense as slavery does.
Lastly, Dana and Rufus were very well-developed characters. The way they changed and grew into different people over a period of time made them quite realistic. The others were sub-standard. Dana’s husband was horribly developed, and I had very little understanding of his character. Although, I suppose, he was created so the author can highlight the way attitudes and beliefs modify over time.
I also read [b:Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|152519|Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|Harriet Jacobs|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418788224s/152519.jpg|330710] after I finished reading Kindred. It was a based on a true story, written by a female slave who escaped bondage, and it may have influenced Kindred to some degree. For instance, Rufus seems to possess somewhat similar characteristics with the real-life, villainous slave-owner, named Dr. Flint, from [b:Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|152519|Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl|Harriet Jacobs|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1418788224s/152519.jpg|330710]. I suggest reading Incidents in the life of a slave girl before picking up Kindred. It’s as interesting as Kindred and, like I said before, it’s based on a true story.