Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neely

11 reviews

harymouck's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fun and entertaining,  but also gave me a lot to think about.  Blanche has quickly become one of my favorite mystery protagonists.  She engages not just in the mystery at hand, but the real, human dynamics at play. She is cautious with her heart, but when she meets a worthy recipient,  loves quickly and with a real understanding of them. I like to think (or at least I hope) I would qualify.  

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Classism, Violence, Ableism, Grief, Murder, and Racism

mysterymom40's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

Minor: Slavery

shoshthemost's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Rape, and Racism

3readingcircus's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Ableism, Suicide, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Rape

luisaveras's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Sexual assault

droggelbecher42's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Really enjoyed this book, very quick fun read, found myself caring about Blanche more than I expected for such a short book. My first Blanche book I read and can definitely see myself checking out the other books or reread this one, to see what clues I missed in the beginning 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs

Moderate: Ableism and Murder

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

skudiklier's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious reflective 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? No

4.75

I really enjoyed this! It's got a lot of the great parts about mysteries while also turning so many tropes and conventions on their heads. Blanche is a great protagonist and I hope to read more of this series at some point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Ableism, Murder, and Hate crime

Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infidelity, Rape, Abandonment, Police brutality, Classism, Sexual content, and Grief

lynching, KKK

clarahesler's review against another edition

emotional mysterious 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Death

Minor: Rape

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

3.75

 Blanche on the Lam was a relatively quick read, a fast-paced murder mystery. But one that came with a very heavy dose of race relations. Class commentary too. Not a bad thing at all but it did sometimes feel a little heavy handed.

Sentenced to a spell in jail for passing bad cheques (only because an employer didn’t pay her) Blanche, a Black woman, manages to escape and then hides out by working as a housekeeper for a wealthy family in their summer house. All sorts of suspicious happenings take place. And then there are murders. That’s right. More than one. Thankfully Blanche is sassy, smart, and savvy - and not averse to a little snooping. Not only does she solve the case before the Sheriff is even aware there is a case to be solved, but she does so in a way that ends her “bad cheques and jail escapee” dilemma.

If you like southern gothic and are up for plenty of straightforward, no BS commentary when it comes to race this could be a book for you. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

aasplund's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence