Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

902 reviews

annasorr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Octavia Butler is absolutely brilliant. The novel is deceptively straightforward, choosing to eschew usual sci-fi plot jargon to get straight to the point. It’s tense, compact, dark, and philosophical— basically everything this novel needs to be to tell this story effectively and truthfully, lingering in darkness without stewing in it longer than necessary. Then, when the novel reaches its necessary conclusion, it leaves reader to make sense of Dana’s experiences, bringing history ever closer to the present. Certainly a difficult read, but also a riveting one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

shmabbyabby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

sleepycaboose's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

Had to read in one sitting. My first time reading Butler, but not the last.
An intense story, written perfectly with so much care and nuance. Every plot choice felt intentional, deeply symbolic without being overly obvious, and I empathized deeply with many of the characters.
In love with how Butler uses and describes time travel as a metaphor for emotional connection and disconnection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Rape

3_7_91's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

Couldn't put it down. The cast of characters feel so real, which makes it all the more disturbing and emotional to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

cmbrown4's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

julaun's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Torture

Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Miscarriage

shadowearitei101's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

Giving this book a star rating feels disrespectful but I’d consider it required reading if the subject matter isn’t personally triggering to you (personally triggering does not equal discomfort, this book should make you uncomfortable)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence

doctorw0rm's review against another edition

dark informative reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction and Pregnancy

madkatrob's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Vomit