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ari76'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? It's complicated
3.5
That being said, I had qualms. It was a humungous undertaking to write about this family from its relative beginning to the 21st century, and especially big when you consider the time skips and revelations. I commend Jeffers for bringing in the details at every stage and I enjoyed some of the writing that reflected every period. I /learned/ a lot through the book. However, those choices also resulted in me getting lost in the broader narrative, especially after having Ailey as the primary narrator (and using "I") for a while then switching back to the omniscient perspective. I found myself playing catch-up, and at times feeling a little frustrated without a family tree and with a focus on broader events. I appreciated that Jeffers made family was implicated in broader Black US history, but I feel like we didn't get to see the arc pay off within the family itself at the cost of these connections and perhaps a true timeline of a life. The eras alone were cool to see but also....I could've left more space for the familial processing of the gravity of what happened. That frustration boiled over a bit at the end when Ailey's
As you can tell by the review, this book brings up so many thoughts for me, and for that, I'm grateful. There was so much that I wanted and I have to remind myself, so much that Jeffers wanted to give.
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Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Rape, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Grief, Death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, Incest, Hate crime, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Slavery, and Death of parent
madeleinebay's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
erebus53's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Having read Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, and Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, a lot of the plot points of this book were familiar. If you haven't learned much about the Antebellum South, this could be quite rough going. As a historian (main character) Ailey Pearl Garfield is often shaken, and moved to tears, by the accounts she unearths about happenings in her family's past.
This story is nuanced, and the characters feel like people rather than archetypes. Weaving a history filled with trauma would be pretty much impossible without some levity and there is a lot of dialogue that lightens the mood. Some of the humour is utterly hilarious and there are often call-backs to information about minor characters that pepper the backstory with shared in-jokes and form a real sense of this family inhabiting a rich world and community. There are a couple of LGBT characters in the story, and a family history of Dyslexia which becomes apparent as Ailey digs deeper into her family's story.
I could write an entire page to describe the content warnings... but I won't. Let's just say that Racism is the tip of a horrible, bloody iceberg, and that genocide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide, drug addiction, miscarriage, gaslighting and oppression of various forms are all in this book. It's a big book.. there are a lot of words.. and not all of it is pretty.
The Audiobook is beautifully narrated by 3 different voice talents, and the story spans several different timelines, so if you are "reading" by Audiobook it's a good idea to download the supplemental material that lists the genealogy of the family, so you don't get lost.
Thoroughly recommend this book. I found myself really excited by some revelations near the end and more than once I got body chills and frisson from emotionally resonant bits. This would be a great bookclub read if you have people who read at about the same pace, and don't mind tomes that exceed 800 pages.
Graphic: Sexism, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Mental illness, Grief, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Excrement, Addiction, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Genocide, Suicide, Misogyny, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Torture, Homophobia, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Blood, Alcohol, Ableism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Gore, Classism, Child abuse, Abortion, Violence, Self harm, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Drug use, and Drug abuse
lese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Slavery, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
mjihadah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
bugzecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Death, Incest, Rape, Grief, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Trafficking
permanme'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Addiction, Pedophilia, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Incest, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Genocide, Abortion, and Alcohol
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexism, Self harm, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Colonisation, Addiction, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Minor: Religious bigotry and Police brutality
erilynne's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
There were many parts that were difficult to read because of the subject matter, but overall the book was hard to put down. The size is definitely intimidating, but for sure worth the read.
My only complaint is that the time jumps were confusing at times and I had a hard time remembering who was who when it switched back and forth.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Drug use
ruffian23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Classism, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Addiction, Child death, Sexual content, and Drug abuse