Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

30 reviews

martinza's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

It is about usa southern states slavery, it is hard to read, it is very good. The time travel element brought it emotionally much closer to me in contrast to a „it was a long time ago - it was very bad“ story. The only well used time travel in any story I can remember at the moment. A focus is on different kinds of human relations in the context of slavery.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Torture, and Suicide

moonlitemuseum's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Phenomenal. Brutal. Precise.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Blood, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Deportation, Hate crime, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Self harm, Child death, Grief, Toxic friendship, Violence, Body horror, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse

nialiversuch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

This is a book that I read as part of the 52 Book Challenge 2023. I had heard the name Octavia E. Butler before but had never bothered looking into it because I thought the name sounded like an airport novel writer or cozy-mystery-old-lady read..  I was so wrong. So silly of me. This book is a nuanced piece of science fiction that explores life and slavery in Antebellum USA, through the eyes of an interracial couple from 1976.

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.

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Content Warnings

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

sarahreadsromance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

I have no words.  This book does an incredible job at demonstrating the complexities of slavery in the US and the social and power dynamics along with it.  It’s easy to think of slavery as a distant issue, one that is so far from humanity today.  By humanizing Rufus and other white characters, Butler shows how society got to that place and how and why systems of oppression are maintained.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Pregnancy, Torture, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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: Violence, Suicide attempt, Racism, Slavery, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Child death

princessdana36's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Racial slurs, Slavery, Suicide, and Abandonment

Moderate: Racism

yourpal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

Absolutely incredible, definitely worth the read. It’s a painful one to be sure but unbelievably well written. It pulls you in and doesn’t let you go and you definitely won’t want it to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Vomit, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Racism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Alcohol, Abandonment, Violence, Xenophobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Death, Child death, and Child abuse

windspice's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Slavery, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, and Child abuse

fenemiestolovers's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.75

Riveting and intense! Had me on the edge of my seat. Harrowing, heartbreaking, maddening. For such a difficult concept, I loved the way it was explored across time and with so many layers of feelings. Not one I’ll forget anytime soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, Rape, Bullying, Death, Self harm, Racism, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Vomit, Cursing, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death