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ashybri's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Slavery, and Confinement
Minor: Pregnancy, Self harm, Child death, and Death of parent
lay_kone's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Racial slurs, Violence, Infidelity, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, and Torture
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, and Death of parent
lyndsay_bibliophile's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The pace of storytelling keeps you constantly engaged. Butler writes with raw honesty on racism and violence, past and present. There is graphic violence that some may find difficult, but it is impactful and necessary for the story content. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is important - a must-read for anyone interested in historical fiction, social justice, or exceptional storytelling.
The ending left a lot of unanswered questions, but I think that was the point. It’s a book intended to keep you thinking, long after finishing it.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Self harm, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
kelseyr713's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Blood, Racism, Child abuse, Medical content, Gore, Self harm, Racial slurs, and Slavery
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Bullying, Colonisation, Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Gore, Abandonment, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Physical abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Rape, Religious bigotry, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
yaoipaddle's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, Violence, Torture, Slavery, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Child abuse, Self harm, Police brutality, Confinement, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Ableism
dee_hzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual violence, Grief, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
This is a tale of survival. Dana finds herself dislocated from her time and place and landing in the early 1800s in the middle of emergency. At first she saves a small boy from drowning, and then later she stops a fire. As she follows the pattern she realises that she has a connection to a young man who has very bad luck and who she continually has to save from his misadventures.
First hand, she finds out how Black and White people are divided in status and role, and how those divisions are brutally enforced. She hopes that by befriending this small child she may be able to stop him from developing into the same sort of man as his brutal, plantation-owner father.
In the same vein as Time Traveler's Wife (a book published 24 years after it)... hmm, ok I'm going there. *Incredible Tangent Person! go!* Time Traveler's Wife was interpreted for screen 6 years after its publication and Kindred, a book that also deals with slipping through time involuntarily, was adapted for screen 43 years after its publication in 1979. OK, one of those books was about a man who met the woman he eventually married when she was a child and who develops a relationship with her in chronologically asynchronous order, and the other was about a Black woman coming to understand her family's history, slavery and the brutality of oppression, by rescuing her White, several times great grandfather from death.. so I guess it's more about whether or not people want to discuss Grooming, or Inter-Racial marriage and the brutality of slavery... but why did we have to wait so long before that was a thing?
Kindred is a thoroughly compelling read and I seriously raced through the book, not wanting to put it down. The relationships are rich and messy, and offer a convincing look at what happens when we care about people despite their faults. It is a story of survival, and through Dana we are allowed a glimpse of the real life, love, fear, and survival that was endured by those living and working plantations.
Graphic: Infidelity, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical content, Racism, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Classism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Medical content, Torture, Slavery, Incest, Sexual violence, Violence, Confinement, Rape, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Ableism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Car accident, Dementia, and Drug abuse
ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy and Religious bigotry
Minor: Incest, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization