Reviews with content warning for Racism - Maame

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Maame by Jessica George

178 reviews

martapsalvado's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-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? Yes

3.5

Took me more than a month to read and several in-between books because it's so sad and intense and I'm not in the right headspace 🥲

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teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

3.0

I'm on the fence if I loved this one. It told a realistic story, the responsibilities of caring for a sick parent and not getting to "grow up" in time. I found the main character believable, but I struggled to connect with her. I found for broaching such a dense topic, this book just skimmed the surface level. I wanted more substance to it, and didn't feel I got what I wanted. Take my review with a grain of salt. It is still worth reading.

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emjay2021's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

Maddie lives in London. She is the 25 year old daughter of Ghanaian immigrants but is an odd mix of much older and much younger. On the one hand, her family has piled a lot of responsibilities on her that she shouldn’t have had to handle on her own, and on the other, her upbringing has left her too anxious and scared to take the risks involved in developing her own identity separate from her family.

There are a few things that make this book stand out from other coming of age novels. First of all, Maddie is very loveable despite being a frustrating character. I also appreciated the book’s perspectives on racism, grief, and familial/cultural expectations. The writing is simple and the plot pretty straightforward, but there are also bits that are really quite beautiful. I am glad I read it and would happily read another book by this author. I think Maame is quite autobiographical, and the author’s experiences will lead to some rich literature to explore in future.

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

A great book, the central character Maddie, has Ghanaian heritage. It is a coming of age story, and her development is funny and sad. She's caught between cultures. She is called Maame, meaning woman which she is from an early age. She is selfless caring for her dad, with little to no help, and he has deteriorating Parkinsons. Her mother is absent in Ghana for a great part of childhood and her brother who rarely sees her or his dad. Her mother returns back to the UK, so Maddie leaves home for the first time. Google is her trusted friend. It's about relationships, friendships, family, and deals with all sorts of differing issues, racism, sexuality, grief, and social commentary. It is beautifully written, sad, funny, awkward, painful, poignant, heartwarming, moving cracker of a read. I cant believe its a debut book. Love it.

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bethanwx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Maddie is a protagonist I deeply loved to and I found her story so moving. Her growth into the version of herself she wants to be is messy and I was so proud of how she handled everyone in her life at the end. George's exploration into how women can be forced to grow up too soon, whilst men can get away with less, is deeply explored.

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jourdanicus's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

While not a perfect five-star read for me, this book still touched on a lot of my "catnip" topics and I really enjoyed it.

Maddie as a character is naive in a way that toed the line of believability for me sometimes, esp cially for a gen Z/millennial with the lived experience of being Black in a colonial country. However, the way the themes of racism, misogyny, and sexuality were included is perfect for readers who might be newer to those topics and interested in diversifying their reading.

I did find Maddie relatable in a lot of ways too. The characters and the story were sweet without being saccharine. The plot was a little slow to build, but the second half/third was worth it.

For better or worse, the real life experiences of the author really came through in the story, and I think this book is a well-executed answer to the prompt of "write what you know."

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